A brand-new specialist ‘Raccoon’ mower is helping South Hams District Council to manage public areas that are part of its rewilding project.

As one of its corporate priorities, the District Council wants to increase biodiversity in the South Hams by 20 per cent over four years.

This year, rewilding areas of long grass and flowers continues to create essential food and habitat for pollinators, insects, birds and mammals.

As the outskirts of the Council’s public areas grow to allow wildlife to thrive, the mower helps managing the growth, so it doesn’t get out of control. It makes it easier to access less accessible areas with thicker grass and meadow due to its adaptability and low centre of gravity.

Cllr John McKay, South Hams District Council’s Executive Member for Climate and Biodiversity said: “The Raccoon mower is a new addition to our equipment to help us manage our rewilding areas, which will help us deliver our pledge to increase biodiversity across the District. Of course, cutting is completed outside of breeding seasons to avoid harm to the wildlife we are working hard to protect.

“I’d like to reassure our residents that we continue to regularly cut other public spaces used for ball games, picnicking and dog walking. Careful consideration is given to which areas we cut and which ones we leave to grow to help our wildlife.”

“It’s great to see our rewilding project making progress, with a whole range of wildflowers naturally springing up at some of our sites.”

Although wildflowers such as ox-eye daisy, yarrow, and cuckoo flower are appearing naturally in some places, there are other sites that aren’t showing signs of flowering yet. It can take several years for the wildflowers to stand a chance against more vigorous grasses, particularly where a site has been managed as short grass for a long time.

To give wildflowers a better chance of growing, cuttings from public areas are collected to reduce the amount of nutrients going back into the soil, which can inhibit growth. The Council is also planning to give nature an extra helping hand by creating more new wildflower areas.