Fencing Without Fences

In some upland areas, it is expensive to put in and maintain fencing. Such fences can also be hazards for some species of wild animals (e.g. Black grouse). So what can you do when you want to Facilitate the grazing of large herbivores (e.g. cows and feral horses), to diversify habitats for animals and plants without putting in physical fences? One solution is to use a system devised by Norwegian company 'Nofence' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/03/a-moo-ving-target-fenceless-grazing-widens-possibilities-for-cows-and-wildlife). In this your large herbivore is fitted with a £300 solar-powered, GPS collar, that plays melodies, when it approaches an invisible fence line. The fence line is drawn on a map on a mobile phone app by the landowner. Lines can even be drawn around specific small locations you would like your grazer to avoid (e.g. a clump of rare orchids or an area where ground-nesting birds are hatching their eggs). If the collar wearer crosses the fence line, it receives a small electric shock (comparable to that delivered by an electric fence). In trials, tagged animals very quickly learned to turn back. The system has been used by land owners in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain and the UK. A recent, apparently successful trial, attached collars to 19 cows at the RSPB reserve of Geltsdale, near Carlisle. The cows broke up coarse vegetation areas, diversifying as well as improving habitat. The collars even moved them away from springs where they could contaminate watercourses. This smart technology seems to be very useable for a variety of users with stewardship of the natural world. It can even warn owners if their cow is in trouble!