How dogs wearing backpacks are helping to rewild an English woodland
Backpack-wearing dogs helping to regrow plants in Britain
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Lewes, England — In an urban nature reserve in a small town about two hours south of London, you’ll find the Lewes Railway Land urban nature reserve teaming with life — including a lot of humans and their companions.
“We get lots of people come onto the reserve — which we want — lots of dog walkers,” Dylan Walker, with the Railway Land Wildlife Trust that manages the green oasis, told CBS News. “Inevitably, that has an impact on the habitat.”
After years of heavy use, the reserve has suffered a little for its popularity, losing some native plant species. But Walker is hoping to bring that biodiversity back.
Rewilding: Letting nature take over
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More than 300 years ago, wolves roamed the U.K., often covering up to 100 miles in a single night. Walker said they’d pick up seeds in their fur and drop them in new places.
“It’s really great to have this kind of project where we could use our beloved pets to imitate the behavior of these wild animals,” said Martin.
It’s an idea that initially came from two sisters in Chile, whose backpack-wearing dogs have been helping to regrow forests destroyed by wildfires.
Organizers in the U.K. say it could take a couple years to see the full impact of the pilot project on the reserve.
Source: cbsnews.com