By 2010, habitats were showing good signs of recovery with vegetation growing taller and finally having the chance to bloom and set seed. However, this also resulted in localised undergrazing and overgrazing which has not been good for the habitats.
It was clear that reducing sheep numbers further would not solve this problem, nor would it help the farm enterprise. To control where the sheep graze, a full time shepherd was deemed the most appropriate option.
Challenges of a mountain shepherd
Shepherding sheep for conservation has not yet become a popular option in the UK, although it is widely used in the Alps and Pyrenees.
This is the first known example of full time shepherding for conservation on Welsh and English mountains. Apart from the cold and wet climate challenging British shepherds, one of the main challenges with this project is the way Welsh mountain sheep graze.
At Hafod y Llan, sheep graze the open mountain within their hefts, or ‘cynefin’ in Welsh. Each ewe has her own 'territory' which she will teach to her replacement ewe lamb, ensuring that the flock is evenly distributed across the mountainside. In this way, there is no need for walls or fences between farms.
Conservation shepherding at Hafod y Llan needs to focus on modifying the existing hefts. Sheep hefted to the upper mountain ridges need to be re-heft to lower slopes, away from the sensitive ridges. This will take years, until the new generation of sheep have replaced the old ewes.