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Brownsea Island
Since the 16th century landowners reclaimed Brownsea's marshland and heathland for forestry, farming and industry. By 1900 the island was a complex of fields, woodland, lakes and rides with a working population of several hundred people; the ruins of their cottages and workplaces are a legacy of the last island owner, Mrs Bonham Christie. From 1927 until 1960 she lived alone leaving nature to reclaim the fields and woodlands.
Brownsea Island - Nature Reserve
Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) leased the 100 ha reserve from the National Trust in 1963. Since then DWT has been working hard clearing rhododendron, restoring the rides and the Villa, building hides and bringing the wide variety of habitats into the best form of management for its wildlife. The reserve is of great interest because it is nationally important for many species. The exceptional range of wildlife puts a responsibility on the DWT to conserve and enhance it all but with a particular emphasis on red squirrels, nesting terns and herons, over-wintering waders and ducks, and dragonflies.
Dorset Wildlife Trust Website: www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/dorset/
