A small herd of cows has been introduced to help protect one of Oxfordshire’s rarest and most wildlife-rich habitats.

With the help of volunteers, Freshwater Habitats Trust has been restoring the alkaline fen at Hinksey Heights, west of Oxford, since 2018. Now, the Oxford-based charity is introducing five native Dexter cattle to manage vegetation and give rare wetland wildlife a chance to thrive.

Oxfordshire has an internationally important concentration of alkaline fens, but many have become degraded or lost altogether. Across Oxfordshire, we have now lost 70 hectares of these wetlands – an area the size of 100 football pitches.