Cattle are being used to help fight wildfire risk on one of Wales’s rarest landscapes, as a community grazing scheme tackles flammable vegetation and restores biodiversity.
The Cowtan scheme, meaning Cow Fire, has been set up on the Gower Commons to increase conservation grazing and reduce the build-up of molinia, also known as purple moor grass.
The Gower Commons are among the world’s most important lowland heathland areas, but they are increasingly threatened by spring wildfires. Fires can kill animals, destroy bird nests and damage carbon-storing peat, while repeated burning can allow molinia grass to dominate further.