Dog walking - Ben Hall
Dogs on nature reserves
Why we ask for dogs to be on a short lead
Where dogs are allowed on Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves, they must be kept on leads in order to protect wildlife and habitats as well as to ensure that all visitors can see and enjoy wildlife.
We work hard to make our reserves exceptional places for wildlife and by keeping dogs on leads and walking on paths, disturbance to wildlife is kept to a minimum.
Top tips for walking with dogs
Plan your visit
Check our reserve pages to find out where dogs can be walked on leads and those reserves where only assistance dogs are able to access with their owners.
Chat with our team
Our staff and volunteers are encouraged to speak with all visitors, including those with dogs on our reserves. Our aim is to protect these special sites for wildlife, and to ensure visitors have the chance to experience the very best of Suffolk’s nature. We can help you make the most of your visit.
Be a dog ambassador
Can you help us encourage good dog walking behaviour with other dog owners on our reserves? Volunteer with us as a dog ambassador – full training will be provided. Contact Gemma to volunteer with us: volunteering@suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Our signs can guide you
Below are the signs you will see on our nature reserves to help all visitors. The signs indicate the trails where:
1) dogs must be kept on a lead
2) where dogs can be off lead and
3) where dogs are not allowed, apart from assistance dogs.
Signage to help people with dogs on Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves
Not all of our nature reserves have bins, so please take any dog waste home with you to dispose of responsibly. For specific dog facilities, please check our individual reserve web pages. For the safety and comfort of all visitors, volunteers and staff, dogs are not allowed in our visitor centres, other than assistance dogs.
Most of our reserves allow dogs on leads but there are exceptions. Please see our map below.
Carlton Marshes - John Ferguson
Download our Dogs on nature reserves leaflet here (PDF)
Why we ask you to keep dogs on leads
Except for a handful of nature reserves where there is no direct access or the reserves are subject to a management agreement or condition of sale, most Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves allow visitors with dogs on leads. Assistance dogs are allowed on all of our reserves.
Minimising disturbance to wildlife
- Our nature reserves are special places renowned for their value to wildlife.
- Wildlife has very little space remaining in the UK, and it is vital that we keep disturbance to a minimum on our reserves.
- Bird species such as woodlark, nightjar, warblers, nightingale, stone curlew and waders all either nest directly on the ground or in low scrub and are very easily disturbed from their nests if a dog approaches off a lead. Dogs, with their amazing sense of smell, can easily detect a nest.
- The effect of dogs on wildlife can be direct (such as predation) or indirect (such as changes in foraging behaviour), and physiological (increased stress).
- If dogs stray off paths, wildlife is scared and moves to a safer area. This means that wildlife is less likely to breed and feed in a habitat where they encounter dogs. Disturbance applies to all animals – including birds, mammals, insects, amphibians and reptiles.
Click on the maps below to see the impact of dog disturbance
Dog disturbance map at Carlton Marshes: walkers without dogs
Dog disturbance map at Carlton Marshes: dogs on leads
Dog disturbance map at Carlton Marshes: dogs off leads
Dog disturbance map at Carlton Marshes: gun dogs off leads
Reduce risks to other animals and people
- Keeping your dog on a lead will reduce the risk of livestock incidents.
- It will also greatly help visitors, especially young children, to feel safe while visiting our reserves. Keeping your dog on a lead reduces the risk of confrontation with others and shows consistency of behaviour to other dog owners. It also reduces potentially dangerous situations where dogs may stray into deep water or on to roads.
Lessen the impact of dog waste and dog medication
- There is a change in plant species where dog poo is left on the ground. Rather than vegetable-based diets of grazing animals, the increase in meat-based poo high in nutrients and nitrogen means that habitats such as heathland and woodland-edge plants in particular are out competed by species such as nettles and grasses that thrive in a high nutrient environment.
- Dog poo also plays host to several diseases that can cause harm to grazing animals and humans. Dogs are also sometimes treated with medication, such as flea treatments and worming tablets. These medications are toxic and can remain in the environment, impacting on humans and other species.
Read The Guardian article (Feb 22) on the effects of dog waste on ecosystems here.
Ensure dogs are kept out of water
If your dog is treated for fleas, the treatments have been found to harm aquatic life, poisoning rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. Keeping your dog on a lead will ensure that they keep out of water.
You can read more about the impact of neonicotinoid flea treatments here.
Dog walkers - Tom Marshall
Reporting incidents with dogs
Please call the police for any serious incidents involving dogs.
For non-serious incidents or concerns, please contact the reserve sites manager or call our reception team on 01473 890089
Why we allow dogs at some of our nature reserves
We are often asked why we allow visitors with dogs on our nature reserves when there is so little space left for wildlife.
It is true that research shows that dog poo and wee changes the ecology of an area and also that walkers with dogs cause wildlife disturbance. However, by ensuring poo is taken away and binned, by staying on marked paths and keeping dogs on leads in defined areas can control impact. The positive effects for people enjoying a walk with their dog is valuable for their health and well-being.
Connecting people with nature is vital if we are to restore wildlife and bring back abundance and diversity. We are facing both a climate and ecological emergency, and nature needs to be part of everyone's everyday life in order to be cherished, respected and protected. Allowing free access to visitors on our reserves is part of our charitable objectives. When dogs are walked responsibility in defined areas, it allows people to enjoy our reserves whilst in the company of their four-legged companion.
Top tips for being an eco-friendly pet owner
Public footpaths
Much of the land we own or manage on behalf of others falls under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW ACT) or the coastal margin, and contains one or more public footpaths. This Act outlines public access, including visitors with dogs. The reserves that do not allow dogs (other than assistance dogs) either have no direct access or agreement of open access, have specific wildlife sensitivities, or have a condition of sale or management condition attached.
We recognise that on occasions dogs can cause disturbance to wildlife, but we strongly believe that through engagement, education and inspiring a wider range of people across society about the joys of nature, the benefits of sensitive and well-managed dog access outweighs the negative.
Commercial dog walking or dog training is generally not permitted except with express permission of the Reserve Site Manager and in line with our Commercial Activities Policy.
The Doggy Dilemma, Ben McFarland
Our Director of Landscape Recovery and Conservation, Ben McFarland, wrote an article for our membership magazine 'Wild Suffolk' in the autumn 2022 edition. This explains the dilemmas wildlife organisations across the UK face when striking a balance between welcoming people to nature reserves and the objectives we have to protect wildlife.