Conservation

As a biodynamic and organic farm our wildlife are essential to the smooth running of the farm and gardens. The ecosystem services they provide often go unnoticed, so it is one of our goals to educate the public about the benefits a diverse ecosystem can bring.
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Pollination is perhaps the most noticeable of the services our invertebrates provide. Most of us have observed bees and butterflies at work on the flowers but may not fully understand the role their activity plays in food and seed production. Other invertebrates operate as pest controllers, preying on species that would harm the garden and its crops if allowed to exist unchecked. They help to maintain a natural balance of pest and beneficial invertebrate species within the garden. Invertebrates also fulfil the role of cleaners and decomposers, recycling dead matter, such as leaf matter and garden waste, into composts and leaf moulds that nourish the soil. Even decaying and dead matter, such as rotting animal carcasses and feces is cleared away by invertebrates and processed to enrich the soil. The same thing is happening in the ponds and lake as aquatic invertebrates fulfil these roles, keeping the water clean and the ecosystem balanced. Within the soil, invertebrate species create aeration systems allowing both air and water to permeate down through the layers. Their presence is essential for a high quality, nourishing soil in which to grow our crops.
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As some of the smaller members of the ecosystem invertebrates offer a high protein food source for many other species. Their presence is a crucial component of the many interconnected food webs on the estate supporting birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. These larger animals also have a role to play, shaping the landscape with their feeding patterns and fertilizing the land with their droppings. Just as in the invertebrate communities’ predators are essential to maintain a natural balance and ensure that no population grows too high and damages the environment as a whole.