Lewes, England — In an urban nature reserve in a small town about two hours south of London, you’ll find Lewes Railway Land Urban Nature Reserve teeming with life – including lots of people and their companions.
“We get lots of people to the reserve – which we want – lots of dog walkers,” Dylan Walker, with the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who manages the green oasis, told CBS News. “Inevitably, it has an impact on the habitat.”
After years of heavy use, the reserve has suffered a bit in popularity, losing some native plant species. But Walker hopes so bring back biodiversity.
“We were going to be like, what can we do here?” Walker said. They found the answer in a backpack, designed especially for dogs.
CBS News
“We’ve got our seed and sand mix here, of our native wildflowers and grasses, and we’re going to put them in the package,” Walker explained, noting the importance of making sure that any seed that’s spread intentionally in a natural area must be native to the region .
Small holes cause the seeds inside to fall out when dogs move.
Ruthie Martin tested it on her daughter’s gold pan when she came to the reserve for a walk.
“They don’t mind the packages on their backs,” Martin said of the dog sowers.
More than 300 years ago, wolves roamed Britain, often covering up to 100 miles in a single night. Walker said they would pick up seeds in their fur and release them in new locations.
“It’s really great to have this kind of project where we can use our beloved pets to mimic the behavior of these wild animals,” Martin said.
It’s an idea that originally came from two sisters in Chile, whose backpack-carrying dogs have helped regrow forests destroyed by wildfires.
Organizers in the UK say it could take a couple of years to see the full impact of the pilot project on the reserve.