2023 calendar celebrates Martin Down National Nature Reserve
Farmers there have provided the pictures for the wall planner
A 2023 calendar has been released by a group of conservation-minded farmers near Fordingbridge, showcasing the diverse wildlife in their farms.
Pictures include rare species of butterfly, threatened birds and a range of flora and fauna including bumblebees and barn owls.
All proceeds from the Martin Down Farmers Calendar go to fund conservation work at the National Nature Reserve.
Megan Lock of the Fordingbridge-based charity the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) works as the Facilitator for the Martin Down Farmer Cluster, providing conservation advice and wildlife monitoring. She said:
“By working together, the cluster farmers can have a much greater impact, linking important habitats across the landscape. Since 2017, the Martin Down Farmer Cluster’s achievements have included planting more than 10km of new hedgerows and increasing pollinator habitat by 50%, installing barn owl boxes, creating 21 turtle dove puddles and ponds, constructing five new butterfly banks, creating habitat for grey partridge and monitoring hedgehogs, bumblebees, farmland birds, reptiles, harvest mice and turtle doves.
“Our monitoring shows that many species are benefitting. Corn bunting and grey partridge (one of the UK’s most threatened birds) have both increased by 120%. There has been a 28% increase in butterfly species, and we have seen a 31% increase in barn owl breeding attempts.”
A 2022 calendar around the Nature Reserve raised more than £600, which has been put towards the cost of a ‘hedge popper’ for removing scrub on the nature reserve to encourage wildlife.
The proceeds of the 2023 calendar will help create new interpretation boards explaining what the farmer cluster is doing to support the unique and endangered wildlife on site.
The Martin Down Farmers Calendar 2023 costs £12.50 and is available from the GWCT shop. |newtab)
It's also available from a few local stores:
- Martin Village Store
- Cranborne Stores
- Cranborne Garden Centre
- Stable and Wick Farm Shop and Café, Downton