Animal & Land Systems

Demonstration Site, ¨Living Lab¨

The Lighthouse is not only an operational site but a demonstration model for regenerative land use.

It functions as a:

Living laboratory for ecological practices
Reference site for integrated animal-land systems
Educational environment where theory and practice meet

This increases its value to funders seeking scalable and replicable solutions.

Sheep

Landscape stewards and regenerative grazers

A small herd of 4–6 Shetland and Gotland sheep will play an important role in the ecological management of the land.

These breeds are well-suited to low-input systems, known for their hardiness, gentle grazing behavior, and high-quality wool.

The sheep will be managed through rotational grazing, allowing pasture areas to rest and regenerate between grazing periods.

This supports soil health, stimulates plant diversity, and contributes to a more balanced ecosystem. Their presence helps cycle nutrients naturally, reducing the need for external inputs while improving overall land vitality.

Beyond their ecological role, the sheep also form part of the educational and material cycles of the Lighthouse.

Their wool will be harvested annually and processed on-site, creating opportunities to reconnect with natural materials and traditional practices and sharing this information with the public.

This includes learning about breed characteristics, fiber qualities, and the full process from fleece to finished material.

Educational activities will be centered around:

Natural and low-intervention sheep keeping
Breed-specific knowledge (Shetland and Gotland)
Rotational grazing systems
Wool shearing and animal care
Processing and working with raw wool and yarn

These activities support the Lighthouse’s mission by combining practical land stewardship with knowledge sharing, allowing people to engage directly with regenerative systems in a grounded and tangible way.

Chickens

Soil builders and nutrient cyclers

Chickens play a key role in maintaining soil health and supporting regenerative cycles on the land.

Their natural behaviors—scratching, pecking, and foraging—help:

Break up soil surfaces
Distribute organic matter
Reduce pests and larvae
Contribute nutrient-rich manure

They may be rotated through specific areas to support soil regeneration, following or complementing other animals where appropriate.

In addition, chickens provide eggs and serve as an accessible entry point for people to understand:

Small-scale animal care
Natural feeding behaviors
Integration of animals into land systems

Ducks

Water-linked foragers and ecological balancers

Ducks complement the system through their strong connection to water and their effectiveness as foragers.

They contribute by:

Managing slugs and insects, especially in wetter areas, like the orchard
Supporting pond-edge ecosystems
Adding fertility through manure

Unlike chickens, ducks interact more directly with water systems, making them particularly valuable in balancing wet environments and increasing biodiversity around the pond.

Their presence highlights how different species occupy distinct ecological niches, working together to create a more complete system.

Maremma (Livestock Guardian Dog)

Protection, balance, and coexistence

A Maremma Sheepdog will live alongside the sheep as a livestock guardian dog (LGD), with access to the wider property.

Its primary role is to:

Protect sheep from potential predators
Provide a sense of safety and stability within the herd

Unlike herding dogs, the Maremma works independently, forming a bond with the animals it protects. Its presence reduces stress in the flock and allows for more natural behavior.

The dog will be integrated carefully to ensure:

Proper training and socialization
Clear boundaries with visitors and community spaces
A balanced role within both animal and human environments

This element supports a system of coexistence rather than control, where protection is achieved through relationship and presence rather than force.

Horses

Working partners in low-impact land stewardship

The horses at the Lighthouse are active contributors to a fossil-fuel-free system. Living within the paddock paradise, they will be trained and engaged in draft work suited to their capacity and well-being.

Their role includes:

Pulling small-scale equipment for land work
Assisting in moving materials (wood, compost, tools)
Supporting maintenance tasks across the property

By working with horses instead of machines, the Lighthouse reduces reliance on fossil fuels while demonstrating a viable alternative rooted in cooperation rather than extraction.

This relationship is based on:

Respect for the horse as a sentient partner
Training methods that prioritize clarity, trust, and welfare
Work that is appropriate, varied, and not exploitative

Educational activities will allow people to learn:

Principles of working with horses in regenerative systems
Basics of groundwork and communication
Ethical considerations of animal-powered systems

The horses embody a shift toward relational land management, where energy is sourced through living systems rather than industrial inputs.

Large draft breeds such as Belgian Draft Horse and Percheron will be included for heavier tasks, working both individually and in team configurations. These horses are suited to pulling heavier loads such as timber, larger materials, and infrastructure-related work where more power is required.

Alongside them, smaller draft and utility breeds such as Haflinger and Norwegian Fjord Horse will be integrated into the system. These horses are highly versatile and efficient for lighter tasks, precision work, and situations where smaller scale or lower impact is needed. Like the larger drafts, they will be trained to work both singly and in pairs.

The presence of both large and small working horses allows the Lighthouse to demonstrate a range of appropriate working models, rather than a single fixed approach. This makes it possible to match the type of horse, harness, and workload to the specific conditions of the land and task.

Educational activities will include:

Natural and low-intervention horse keeping within a track system
Understanding and working within a paddock paradise setup
Harnessing, equipment use, and maintenance
Breed-specific characteristics and selection
Training approaches for both large and small draft horses
Working horses singly and in team configurations

This diversity is intentional, allowing the Lighthouse to function as a practical reference model, where people can observe, learn from, and adapt different approaches to suit their own land, scale, and context.

Paddock Paradise

A movement-based landscape for horse health and land regeneration

The Lighthouse will implement a Paddock Paradise system: a track-based layout designed to encourage continuous movement, mimic natural herd behavior, and support both animal health and landscape function.

Instead of keeping horses on static pasture, the land is shaped into a looping track that guides movement through varied terrain, surfaces, and micro-environments.

This reduces overgrazing, prevents soil compaction in single areas, and allows central zones to rest, recover, and regenerate.

As a land feature, the paddock paradise becomes an integrated ecological system:

Movement patterns stimulate biodiversity along edges
Rested areas support plant succession and soil building
Water, shelter, and feeding points are strategically placed to guide behavior

This approach aligns animal welfare with land restoration, demonstrating how thoughtful design can replace extractive land use with regenerative interaction.

Orchard & Food Forest

A layered system of long-term food and ecosystem resilience

The orchard will consist of a diverse mix of fruit and nut trees suited to the conditions of the Netherlands, integrated into a broader food forest system with multiple ecological layers.

Rather than a single-layer orchard, this system includes:

Canopy trees (fruit and nuts)
Understory shrubs (berries, support species)
Herbaceous plants (medicinal, pollinator-friendly)
Ground cover (soil protection and fertility)
Root crops and climbers where appropriate

This layered approach increases biodiversity, improves soil structure, and creates a more resilient and self-sustaining system over time.

The orchard functions as:

A source of seasonal food
A habitat for insects, birds, and small wildlife
A long-term investment in ecological stability

It also serves an educational role, helping people understand how food systems can be designed to work with natural processes rather than against them.

Pond

Water retention, biodiversity, and microclimate regulation

The pond is a central ecological feature designed to support water resilience and biodiversity across the landscape.

Its functions include:

Capturing and storing rainwater
Supporting amphibians, insects, and aquatic life
Creating a cooling effect and stabilizing the microclimate
Providing a water source for animals and surrounding vegetation

Water is a key limiting factor in many ecosystems. By slowing, storing, and integrating it into the land, the pond strengthens the overall system’s ability to withstand drought and climate variability.

The presence of water also increases the diversity of life on the land, making the Lighthouse a more dynamic and interconnected ecosystem.

Community Garden

Shared space for learning, growing, and connection

The community garden is a dedicated space where people can actively engage with the land through growing food and learning practical skills.

It will provide:

Individual or shared growing areas
Opportunities to learn about soil, seasons, and plant care
A space for collaboration and exchange of knowledge

The focus is on accessibility and participation rather than production at scale. The garden supports:

Local food awareness
Hands-on education
Community connection through shared responsibility

This space anchors the Lighthouse socially, ensuring it remains not only an ecological project but also a place of human connection and learning