A Braunton Countryside Centre Event

Evening Talk: Exmoor Wildlife – Braunton Countryside Centre

Wednesday 21st Oct, 7:30pm

A special evening talk by Flemming Ulf-Hansen, ecologist and author of ‘Exmoor‘. Flemming has nearly 37 years of experience working in wildlife conservation, primarily across Exmoor and Salisbury Plain. He is the founding chair of the Exmoor Mires Project (centred on peatland restoration) and specialises in ecological restoration.

In his talk, Flemming will emphasise Exmoor’s heathland and peatland as well as other characteristic habitats. Exmoor’s woodland is special too, with some of the largest ancient oakwoods (our own temperate rainforests) in southern Britain, and he will champion the relatively unappreciated colossus of the coastal woods. He will bring out some interesting case studies from his long experience. Books will be available to buy and will be signed by the author.

There is no need to book in advance – just turn up on the night. We kindly ask for a suggested £4 donation to support our volunteer-run Centre.

This talk is part of our October evenings programme. Check out our Events Calendar to see what we have planned every Wednesday throughout the month.

About Flemming Ulf-Hansen

Dr Flemming Ulf-Hansen is an ecologist living in Langport, Somerset. He graduated from the University of Bradford and then gained a master’s degree from the University of Western Ontario. His doctorate on the ecology and evolution of grass weeds was from the University of Liverpool. He joined the government’s wildlife body, the Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England) in 1988 and has nearly 37 years of experience of conserving wildlife and protected sites. He chaired the Somerset Environmental Records Centre for many years. He helped develop the early agri-environment schemes on Exmoor and then worked closely with farmers to implement these there. Particularly interested in ecological restoration, he was heavily involved in peatland restoration, chairing the Exmoor Mires Project through its formative stages. He was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2010 to study the ecosystem approach to habitat restoration, involving travel to France, Bulgaria and North America. In his work, he has also been involved in the management of grasslands, woodlands, heathlands as well as invasive species control – developing a healthy loathing for rhododendron and Montbretia.