Network for Nature

M65-A56 Pollinator Networks

Creating a linear pollinator network near to the A56-M65, with new and restored grasslands and other special places for insects to reverse the impacts of fragmentation and habitat loss caused by historic activity of the road network.  

The project will manage over 100 hectares for pollinators such as the solitary tormentil mining-bee, the emperor moth and the green hairstreak butterfly, encouraging food plants such as devil's-bit scabious, black knapweed and upright tormentil.  

Red Moss SSSI

Restoration and enhancement of Red Moss lowland raised bog SSSI which forms part of the vast  Great Manchester Wetlands Nature Improvement Area,  a nature recovery network and an important link between upland and lowland peat landscapes. The M61 presents a barrier to wildlife movement within the wider landscape to or from Red Moss. Restoration and enhancement works will produce multi-faceted benefits in terms of connectivity, improved hydrological functioning and resilience of the site and wider landscape, contributions to carbon emissions reduction; increased biodiversity along with support for species reintroduction.  

The project includes improvements to the water retention ability and will increase the quantity and diversity of the plant and animal communities of Lowland Raised Bog sites within the GM Wetlands NIA, improving the ability for species to move through the landscape and connectivity to nearby upland peat habitats.

Improving the Connectivity and Biodiversity of the Manchester Mosses SAC 

Re-creating a nature recovery network across this endangered landscape, which is bisected by the M62.  

Restoration and enhancement capital works will produce multi-faceted benefits in terms of ecological connectivity across the SAC (and the wider  Great Manchester Wetlands NIA ), better hydrological function and resilience of the peatland landscape, increased biodiversity (through restoration of lowland raised bog habitat, increased quantity and diversity of bog characteristic plants, and support for species reintroduction); carbon emissions reduction; protection of the carbon store, opportunities for community wellbeing, improvements to water retention ability and flood resilience. 

Rotherham Rivers 3

Habitats around J33 of the M1 and the River Rother used to support much more wildlife, including the now endangered water vole. Rotherham Rivers 3 project sees long-term restoration on the river Rother with natural solutions altering the water flow to provide a variety of habitat and flow types, improving the river for fish and aquatic life. Floodplain work will allow isolated wildlife upstream and downstream to reconnect, and hopefully tempt the reclusive water vole to return. 

Scrapes and ponds will be constructed, restoring the cut-off flood plains, while the wet habitat around an old oxbow lake will be extended creating a wildlife haven for river and wading birds. The natural course of the river was heavily modified by industry; large lengths of it were forced into fast flowing straight channels, reducing the vital wildlife habitat within and cutting it off from the wild wetlands alongside. Now, building upon previous work along the river, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust and partners are working on a long-term restoration plan to welcome nature back into the area. 

Within the straightened river, berms (obstructions) will be placed to break up the water flow to provide a variety of habitat and flow types, improving the river for aquatic invertebrates and fish. Hedgerows and trees will be planted, and existing valuable habitats including reedbeds and grassland will be enhanced. The restoration will allow isolated wildlife upstream and downstream to reconnect, species which could benefit water vole, kingfisher, brown trout.

The Lugg Living Landscape

The Lugg Living Landscape is a new wetland that will provide food and nesting habitat for threatened lapwings and curlews, riverside fields will become a stepping stone for wetland wildlife between Bodenham Lake nature reserve and Wellington Gravel Pits, two of the most important sites in the county for wetland birds. Work at Oak Tree Farm nature reserve includes creating shallow pools, ponds, wet grassland and reedbed enhancing the ecological corridor running through the landscape. The project will improve connectivity between a wetland complex of more than 20 lakes alongside the A49.   

A series of natural water filter pools, (SuDS) will filter water running from the nearby road network before it enters the River Lugg SSSI. Funding will also improve woodland for orchids and butterflies close to Queenswood Country Park and install two hides for wildlife watching at Oak Tree Farm nature reserve. 

M5 Clean Rivers Project

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country are embarking on an exciting nature recovery project to create a series of wetlands to prevent pollution from the M5 from entering the River Rea and the River Stour. These rivers are priority landscapes and provide important areas of habitat but they suffer from damaging pollution from the M5. The wetlands, which will be created on the boundary of Birmingham and Dudley, will act as a filter, removing harmful pollution such as oil, tyre residue and heavy metals before they have chance to enter the rivers.  This will result in cleaner water for a variety of species to thrive and will support our natural ecosystem. Colourful kingfishers, elusive otters and charismatic dippers will all benefit from the increase in aquatic invertebrates such as caddisfly, and small fish such as minnow, which require clean water to breed.  Local communities will also benefit from the projects through improved access to local wild spaces which is known to help improve physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Nene Valley Wetland Restoration – Tichmarsh

We’re focussing on restoring the wet grassland and marsh habitats at the north of the site. By restoring lake edges, ditches and scrapes we’ll create shallower margins and muddy shallows providing great habitat for overwintering birds and waders. We’ll also be upgrading visitor facilities to better interpret the importance of these wetland features.

Nene Valley Wetland Restoration – Summer Leys

A four-year project, working on Nene Valley nature reserves to create scrapes, a sand martin bank and better wetlands for water birds, also improving floodplain capacity and carbon storage. Highland cattle will enhance conservation grazing creating wildlife habitat. Nene Valley SSSI complex extends approx. 35 km and is bordered among much of its length by the A45. 

Highland cattle Tilly, Tia, Tallulah and Tatiana recently arrived at  Summer Leys  nature reserve (Northamptonshire) to improve conservation grazing 

Nene Valley Wetland Restoration – Nene Wetlands

We’ll be improving grazing infrastructure by upgrading the cattle pen and installing a cattle bridge, allowing us to implement conservation grazing across a wider area. At the same time we’ll be restoring lake edges and ditches to provide shallow margins. We’re hoping these works will encourage breeding waders (lapwing and redshank) to return to the site for the first time in many years.

Wymondham green bridge conversion

This project will investigate the potential for a pilot scheme to convert an existing pedestrian bridge over the A11 to a green bridge, which would connect great crested newts to two County Wildlife Sites, including Silfield Newt Reserve. By allowing wildlife, as well as pedestrians, to safely cross the A11 between the Silfield Newt Reserve and The Lizard, we would reconnect two very important sites for wildlife. This would give small mammals, amphibians and reptiles the vital ability to move through our countryside, allowing them to thrive further afield.

Sillfield Newt Reserve

Activities on the Sillfield Newt Reserve will focus on restoration and creation of ponds to provide essential habitat for great crested newts. As well as supporting a diverse range of other species from bats and small mammals to dragonflies, the improvements will also provide a vital stepping stone in the landscape to enable wildlife to move between nearby areas of habitat.  

Blows Downs

Invaluable work at  Blow’s Downs  will improve both floral diversity and with that the populations of butterflies. Creating chalk scrapes will enhance valuable butterfly habitat for chalkland species such as the chalkhill blue, small blue and brown argus. New fencing and water troughs will allow better control of the cattle grazing across the reserve. Protected and priority species surveying and monitoring work will be undertaken before, during and after work, including surveying for slow worms prior to scrape work, and surveying the bird populations, including passage migrants which make use of the scrub and grassland mosaic, as well as butterfly surveys. Interpretation, including carved benches will be installed to help educate the many visitors to the reserve. 

The M1 is close enough to the reserve that atmospheric pollution is likely to cause an impact, such as nitrogen deposition which will cause nutrient enrichment of the sensitive chalk loving plants.  Blows Downs is a key reserve in the Trust’s North Chilterns Chalk living landscape, providing a location for key indicator species to move out into the surrounding area, including along hedges and motorway verges. 

East Winch Common SSSI

Vibrant heather dominates the heathland at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s East Winch Common, which is interspersed with wet heath and ponds, home to a variety of plants and insects. Norfolk Wildlife Trust will investigate how being close to the A47 road might be affecting this protected SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and the wildlife that calls it home. By studying how water moves into and out of East Winch Common, and how pollution from vehicles might be affecting the site and its wild inhabitants, we will learn how to create a better place for wildlife. Initiatives such as restoring ponds and wet heath habitat will follow, allowing species including cross-leaved heath, lousewort, dodder, sphagnum mosses and sundews to thrive.  

The final part of the project involves re-instating access to the site from the A47 to aid the Trust’s effective management of the common.  

River Lea Habitat Restoration

The project aims to better connect two of the Trust’s vulnerable nature reserves,  Lemsford Springs  and  Stanborough Reedmarsh , restoring habitats along the River Lea and creating a wildlife corridor for fish, mammals and invertebrates to move and more easily spread their populations. 

Chalk streams are globally rare habitats and 10% of these streams are found in Hertfordshire. The naturally-filtered water in chalk streams means that wildlife such as water voles, brown trout and mayfly can thrive in these wild places. Chalk streams are in a poor state across the country due to over abstraction, historic alteration and pollution, leading to low levels of polluted water flowing through poor quality habitats, making it difficult for wildlife to survive. Funding from the National Highways Network for Nature programme will enable the Trust to carry out remedial works to the river banks and reedbeds, as well as increase the range and complexity of natural habitats along a 2km stretch of chalk river, improving conditions for wildlife where the river was altered for road-building, industry and leisure. The project will empower the local community to become active in improving these sites and monitoring species populations through volunteering. 

The Woodland Wonders of Moor Copse

Sunny woodland glades will be opened up where bluebells, wood anemones and primrose will flourish and butterflies such as white admirals and silver-washed fritillaries will feed. The planting of new trees and hedgerows will benefit local dormouse and bat populations, while improved fencing and gates will also be installed to protect new growth from deer. The project follows an outbreak of ash dieback disease at  Moor Copse  nature reserve which has meant clearing some affected trees. 

The woodland supports a core but isolated population of hazel dormice, with a known larger population 3km west at Greathouse Wood that is connected via the M4 corridor. The site is directly adjacent to the busy M4, and suffers from pollution and noise from the road. It is an area that has been fragmented by the road network, and relict populations of key species are found there. 

The River Pang meanders through this beautiful woodland, creating a peaceful setting, thought to have inspired EH Shepard to illustrate The Wind In The Willows book by Kenneth Grahame.

Dormouse Reconnected

An ambitious and visionary project to connect fragmented populations of hazel dormice, which can be found along the M5 corridor on the edge of Taunton. The motorway development and the accompanying road bridges have isolated these charismatic animals from the wider landscape and other populations toward the Blackdown Hills, limiting available habitat, interactions and genetic diversity, which would otherwise provide the chance for them to expand and thrive. ‘Dormouse Reconnected’ is coming to the rescue, with specially made wildlife bridges and habitat improvements along and under the M5 to help this wonderful protected species to re-connect and thrive. Wildlife bridges offer an innovative approach to connect species habitats and populations in the context of urban infrastructure and development. The project will pilot their use as an efficient and economic tool for natures recovery and will monitor how dormouse interact with them through an exciting e-DNA study in partnership Imperial College, London.

Smallbrook Meadows Wetland Project

Historic mismanagement of the River Were and its floodplain through Wiltshire Wildlife Trusts Smallbrook Meadows Nature Reserve has resulted in a disconnected floodplain meadow and an artificial river channel with little marginal zone. The adjacent floodplain supports low quality habitat with little water retention and few wetland species. This project will re-meander the river through the floodplain, creating a wider marginal zone to support numerous invertebrates, birds and mammals. The riverbed will be raised to reconnect it with and re-wet the floodplain. Scrapes will be created in the floodplain to provide standing open water supporting a wide abundance of flora and fauna. The project will have additional benefits of retaining water in high rainfall events and capturing nutrients and other pollutants in the river. 

Langford Lakes

Langford Lakes nature reserve SSSI is in close proximity to the A39, the Network for Nature programme will allow 11 hectares of wetland habitat to be created and enhanced for birds of conservation concern. New habitat features including a sand martin bank, tern rafts, an area of reedbed, wet grassland and muddy wetland margins will support breeding lapwing, breeding common tern, breeding sand martin. Langford Lakes is SSSI next to A39.

J10 Chalk Grassland Restoration

Two areas of nationally important chalkland in Hampshire are set for restoration, which could offer a boost to one of Britain’s rarest butterflies. The pair of chalk downland sites near Winchester, either side of the M3 motorway, cover approximately 65 hectares; one of them has been identified as a potential habitat for the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly. Once restored these areas will contribute towards the creation of a much larger and better connected area of chalk grassland landscape, addressing the fragmentation and loss of chalk grassland habitat caused by the construction of the M3 in this area over 20 years ago. 

Shap Fells Peatland Restoration

Shap Fell is a badly damaged blanket bog cut in two by the M6 motorway. Damaged peat releases carbon dioxide, increases flood risk to homes and businesses and reduces habitat for wildlife. This project will reprofile steep peat banks and gully edges to a 30-degree angle and cover them with turves rich in local flora.  Bunds and thick soil banks will be built to hold back water with the aim of returning it to a functioning peat-forming habitat. The results will be more specialist plants such as cottongrass, bilberry, cranberry, and bog rosemary which will thrive and attract golden plover, short-eared owl, merlin, snipe, and red grouse. This project will restore 50ha of degraded peatland. 

Bringing Biodiversity Back to the Broads 

This project focusses on wetland creation within  Carlton Marshes  and restoring arable land next to the River Waveney to a species-rich wetland full of life. The project will deliver grazing infrastructure and habitat works to accelerate the transformation of the site into a world-class nature reserve, reviving the wildlife abundance and biodiversity value of the southern Broads National Park. 

This new funding will mean that 4,000m of Broadland dykes and 124ha of wet grazing marsh will be restored. 9ha of grazing marsh will be re-wetted along with 200m of new Broadland dyke and 20 turf ponds being created. Species such as avocets, redshanks, lapwing and marsh harriers will benefit, as well as a wide range of aquatic plants and insects such as dragonflies. Situated next to the busy town of Lowestoft, many people will benefit from this landscape-scale reserve, too. The project area sits close to the A12 in Suffolk, this restoration of wetland ecosystems better equips habitats to deal with pollution and run off. 

South Elmham Hall Wildlife Pond Network

South Elmham is a fascinating, historic landscape dating back to the early medieval period. Suffolk Wildlife Trusts aim is to rediscover former 'ghost ponds' within the ancient deer park that have been filled in over the centuries and bring them back to life as a series of wildlife ponds. The 'ghost ponds' can be detected as crop marks on aerial photos, as slight depressions in the fields and from looking at historical maps. As well as being of historical interest, ghost ponds are hugely important for conservation purposes as the buried sediments still contain viable seeds that have lain dormant for many years. These seeds will spring back to life as soon as they encounter light and water, restoring what are now rare species, such as stoneworts. Insects will thrive, and in turn provide food for many species of birds such as skylarks and yellowhammers. The ponds are also perfect habitats for protected species such as great crested newts. Work is still to commence.  

Over the next ten years, the former arable farmland is going to be reverted to grazing for deer once again and allow natural rewilding to take place, hugely increasing wildlife diversity and abundance and providing more space for nature. 

Blyth Valley Farm Cluster 

The Blyth Valley Farm Cluster, is a group of farmers, working with their neighbours and supported by Suffolk Wildlife Trust to restore farmland ponds, wetlands, woodland, grasslands and a traditional orchard all of which increase biodiversity and abundance in the landscape. Carbon will also be sequestered in the soils of well-managed grasslands and new woodlands. This project is working at landscape scale, with 21 farms in the Blythburgh - Bramfield area.  

Suffolk Wool Towns

The Suffolk Wool Towns project will work with 21 farms, covering 7,595ha around the towns of Shimpling, Lavenham and Long Melford. Farmers will work with their neighbour's and Suffolk Wildlife Trust to achieve environmental goals at a landscape scale. Restoring six farmland ponds, enhancing grasslands for pollinators and making better field margins for wildlife corridors, increasing biodiversity and abundance. 

Reconnecting Fillongley

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust will work with several farmers and landowners to create biodiverse habitats across a variety of landscapes. Fillongley village has been flooded six times since 2007, partly due to significant runoff of water from the M6 motorway. Wildlife has also suffered from the fragmentation of land, reduction in air quality due to vehicle emissions, and constant noise from traffic. 

The Reconnecting Fillongley project will create a network of 15 wildlife-rich wetlands and pools and 3km of riverside enhancements, helping to reduce flooding through slowing the flow of water and increasing water holding capacity of pools. There will be huge benefits for wildlife and people as over 2km of hedgerow will be restored and 15ha of new wildflower-rich meadows created. The project will provide habitat for frogs, newts and aquatic wildlife as well as beloved species which are currently in decline including farmland birds, water voles and wading birds. Local people will be involved in monitoring the project and will learn more about the importance of local biodiversity in this ancient Arden landscape for which they care. 

Riddy Connectivity Restoration 

Riddy Connectivity Restoration project will help restore part of the River Ivel, and together with tree planting will provide a wildlife corridor allowing animals, including the endangered water vole, to move into the wider landscape surrounding the nearby Riddy nature reserve.  

The project’s first objective is to re-establish both river and terrestrial connectivity under the A1 road bridge as well as provide a new habitat corridor parallel along one side of the A1.  

The second objective is to improve the quality of the local watercourse, reducing local sedimentation, by formalising cattle activity accessing the watercourse for drinking.  

The final objective is to build future resilience in the watercourse in the face of the climate crisis by providing shade and future habitat material. 

Badley Habitat Mosaic Creation

Suffolk Wildlife Trusts will remove the majority of an overstood Christmas tree plantation of approximately 6ha and establish new woodland with wide grassland rides and scrub habitat. Two new ponds will also be created and an existing pond restored.

Cumbria Wildflower Meadow Restoration

The project will support wild and diverse pollinators including bumblebees, beetles, and moths through planting wildflower meadows close to urban housing estates near Penrith.  

Cumbria Wildlife Trust will create pollinator habitat at two locations: Thacka Beck and Cold Springs, Penrith. Both are close to urban housing estates and the project will engage nearby communities by involving local people in planting wildflowers into meadows and training them to identify and survey the many insect species. The work will take place along Buglife’s B-lines which roughly follows the M6 corridor. 

Creating Species Highways (Feasibility Study)

Species move through landscapes using habitat networks, the Strategic Road Network (SRN) disconnect these habitats, restricting access to breeding, foraging, and presenting risks to individual organisms and entire populations. This feasibility project will create a fuller understanding of where species encounter the SRN and what risks they face enabling better targeted mitigation to become standard practice.

Using a selection of mapping techniques Devon Wildlife Trust aims to create a robust evidence base to guide successful strategic wildlife crossing points. Identifying opportunities to retrofit crossings to bridges, gantries, culverts, and underpasses, delivering complementary habitat enhancements for identified species groups known to be negatively impacted by the SRN, including European protected species and species cited in nearby site designations.

Restoring Burns Beck Moss

The Burns Beck Moss Nature Reserve is a former raised bog, heavily damaged by peat cutting and drainage, Cumbria Wildlife Trust will re-meander and re-naturalise the beck and repair the damaged areas of the bog. 

Since acquiring the site Cumbria Wildlife Trust have started to reverse past attempts to drain the area and the Network for Nature funding will continue the further works needed to return this bog to a healthy, functioning, habitat rich in biodiversity, locking away carbon. 

The impact will be a direct benefit to the habitat on site, attracting many insect species such as roe deer, hare, fox, heron, snipe, tawny owl and reed bunting, as well as warblers, curlew and whinchat during the summer months.  

Coast to Fell

Cumbria Wildlife Trust will be working with landowners, tenants, the National Trust and the Arnside and Silverdale AONB to improve floral diversity across 29 hectares of hay meadow and limestone grassland in the Westmorland Dales, Lake District and the limestone coast of Morecambe Bay. 

The project will include a programme of botanical field surveys, meadow and pasture restoration using green hay, brush harvested seeds and plug plants. The restored grassland will help increase the area of flower rich grasslands, enabling pollinators to have more opportunities for foraging, and help reconnect fragmented habitats. 

Bodenham Reedbeds 

The Bodenham Reedbeds project will create nationally scarce reedbed, restore the iconic Lugg Valley floodplain grasslands and create log piles to boost toad populations, increasing biodiversity at Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve. 

In partnership, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and New Leaf Sustainable Development took over management of Bodenham Lake in 2016. Many habitats within the nature reserve were in poor condition, and therefore supporting a limited range of wildlife. The Network for Nature funding will boost wildlife habitats, by improving floodplain meadow through green hay and seed strewing and lake habitat by increasing the abundance of marginal vegetation. 

Huckerby’s Meadow

Huckerby’s Meadows nature reserve has undergone a transformation over the last 15 years and this former car park is now a patchwork of meadows, scrub and hedgerow. The Network for Nature funding will allow London Wildlife Trust to continue restoring this wildflower meadow and increasing biodiversity will enable the site to play a much more important role in landscape connectivity along the River Crane corridor. An improvement in the condition of the site will enable it to support a wider range of species, possibly being suitable as a receptor site for adder in the future.

Shropshire Road Network’s Nature Retreats

The Shropshire Road Network’s Nature Retreats will provide better habitat conditions for a whole range species, creating stepping-stones, ‘nature retreats’ for wildlife across North Shropshire and bring these important habitats into optimal condition. 

Network for Nature will allow Shropshire Wildlife Trusts to restore species-rich limestone grassland, supporting butterflies such as the pearl-bordered fritillary and plants such as Fragrant Orchid. As well as restore a great crested newt pond, and enhance a lowland raised peat bog by clearing invasive purple moor grass and willow, keeping the peat bog habitat open for species such as raft spider and bog rosemary. 

Bovey Heathfield SSSI Restoration Project

Bovey Heathfield SSSI supports valuable populations of scarce specialist species such as nightjar, dartford warbler, adder, great crested newt, silver-studded blue butterfly, Kugelann’s green clock beetle, heath potter wasp and narrow-headed ant.   

Devon Wildlife Trust will be fencing the 3.2km boundary of Bovey Heathfield SSSI to create two conservation grazing units, securely confining cattle within the nature reserve. The project will enable the implementation of an enhanced, sustainable long term habitat management regime leading to biodiversity gains on the site itself and across a local network of lowland heaths and unimproved wildlife rich grasslands.  

West Chisenbury Wetland

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust are restoring 400m of SSSI/SAC designated chalk stream and reconnecting the river with its floodplain. Large wetland scrapes will be created to increase biodiversity and capture nutrients from the river, restoring natural processes destroyed through historic mismanagement including realignment and dredging of the river channel.

West Yorkshire INNS Restoration & Resilience Project

Working on a landscape-scale Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are restoring habitats impacted by Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) by increasing biodiversity and habitat resilience. This will be achieved through a new and innovative method of INNS management which delivers targeted habitat restoration in conjunction with INNS control.  

The project will undertake treatment of INNS such as Japanese knotweed, benefiting over 35km of riparian habitat. Following successful control, priority sites will receive targeted restoration measures, revegetating impacted areas with native species, restabilising riverbanks using innovative biodegradable products and improve soil conditions for native flora. 

Natural Highways and Homes

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust will create and enhance key habitats across Dunsmore Living Landscape, in central Warwickshire. The project includes restoration of hedgerows and tree planting and the creation of new and restoration of derelict pools. It will greatly benefit amphibians and aquatic wildlife by providing wetlands for breeding; this is a key factor in frog and toad declines.  Creation of wildflower rich meadows left to flower until late summer will benefit a range of wildlife including rapidly declining farmland birds and pollinators, as well as kestrel, barn owl and song thrush populations.

Rewilding Irthlingborough

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire will re-wild 19ha of neglected nature reserve, creating a mosaic of grasslands, scrub, woodland, and ponds. Grasslands will be restored through seasonal grazing, improving their species richness and providing valuable glades within the scrubland for butterflies and other pollinators. Scrub will be restored through initiating rotational felling by staff, maintained by browsing by cattle, creating a varied age and species of scrub to provide nesting habitats for birds. Some thinning of the woodland by staff will start to create a varied structure, with trees of different ages and allow a ground layer of vegetation to become established

Chudleigh Knighton Heath SSSI

A programme of practical management works will improve the condition of Chudleigh Knighton Heath SSSI’s heathland habitats and benefit a spectacular range of scarce and threatened species. A long term conservation grazing regime will be established by installing 7.4km of stock fencing; and new site management equipment will be purchased to enhance both this nature reserve and other wildlife-rich heaths and grasslands across the local landscape. Habitat enhancements targeting narrow-headed ants, pearl-bordered fritillaries, great crested newts and nightjars will also benefit a range of other species occupying similar niches.

Lower Ribble Landscape

Lancashire Wildlife Trust will open up the woodlands of The Lower Ribble Landscape, starting at the nationally recognised Brockholes Visitor Village and Nature Reserve, with the removal of non-native and diseased trees, and underplant to improve the diversity of the tree canopy and encourage natural regeneration. The mix of ground flora, understorey planting and diversity of canopy will improve these habitats for the species that live there including nationally rare White-letter Hairstreak and Willow Tit. The woodlands will also become more resilient to climate change and new disease through the introduction of a broader range of canopy species

Philips Park Restoration

This project will deliver a series of capital works to improve the condition of woodland, ponds and hedgerows at the regionally important Philips Park in Bury. Work will include restoring ancient semi-natural woodland habitat through the control and eradication of Rhododendron, Japanese knotweed and Giant hogweed. The habitat will be enhanced through the planting of native ground flora species and native understory species - particularly focusing in areas where control of invasive species is undertaken. There are five key wildlife ponds at Philips Park and the project will undertake restoration works across three of these habitats, clearing back tree species which have encroached and shade these ponds reducing value for biodiversity. Further enhancement of these pond habitats will be undertaken through the planting of native wetland plant species.

Laxfield - Ubbeston

Laxfield Ubbeston woodland pond project will utilise a combination of restoration methods to return ponds to an earlier successional stage where they will provide a range of benefits for many species, including bat species, Turtle doves and Great created newts. Currently none of the ponds have significant amounts of water in them and have not been ecologically functioning as ponds. Desilting ponds will remove the accumulated sediments and return a variation of depths to the pond. Water will be retained in parts of the ponds throughout the year allowing aquatic life to complete lifecycles and provide food for predators who depend on the species living in ponds. Shallow edges will create improved drawdown zones supporting more marginal aquatic flora and the associated fauna.

St Lawrence Green

St Lawrence Green is a large pond on publicly accessible common land within the village of Iketshall St Lawrence in Suffolk. The pond is a designated County Wildlife Site with records of fine-leaved water dropwort, an uncommon plant in Suffolk. Grass snakes have been seen using the pond. There are records of Turtle Dove in the area, a priority species in Suffolk due to recent declines. A combination of restoration methods will return the pond to an earlier successional stage where it will provide a range of benefits for wildlife.

Wool Towns Farm Cluster

This project will involve creation and enhancement of existing semi natural habitats on a selection of farms in West Suffolk. Twelve historic farm ponds will be restored and two new ponds will be created, re-creating biodiversity hotspots across the landscape. This project will also enhance connectivity of fragmented SSSI woodlands, restore wetland habitat through beaver introduction and create natural regeneration, grassland and scrub mosaic. The project will increase biodiversity and create a mosaic of habitat which will complement the surrounding landscape. These habitats will benefit a wide range of species including declining farmland birds such as Yellowhammer and Turtle dove, wetland and woodland wildlife such as Water vole and rare stoneworts, and cavity nesting birds such as Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Chobham Fire Resilience Project

This project aims to remove invasive scrub on the heathland at Chobham Common. The 8.15ha of scrub consists of Scots pine, silver birch and common gorse and is situated across a 26.5ha area between the M3 motorway and the Chertsey Road B386. Removal of this scrub will help restore areas of open heathland to the great benefit of rare species including nightjar, silver studded blue butterfly and sand lizards. Scrub removal will also largely reduce the fuel loading close to major roadways and therefore reduce the risk of wildfire/smoke to the carriageway as well as helping to stop wildfire spread.

Call Of the Wild

The purpose of this project is to show value to biodiversity when using large herbivores such as cattle to manage landscape scale parcels, mimicking the natural processes that result from seasonal and migratory behaviours of wild graziers such as deer or wild ponies. The project will invest in and use native breed cattle and ponies, mimicking the large herbivores who would have roamed the landscape and employ innovative GPS based virtual fencing to overcome the lack of physical barriers. Using virtual fencing also allows the introduction of alternative grazing pressures to those exerted through current grazing models. The long-term aim is to inspire farmers and landowners to take a new approach to help increase biodiversity, reduce carbon emissions and make land more resilient to climate change whilst still retaining high animal welfare standards and supporting local food production. 

M56 Wildlife Network (Feasibility Study)

This is a feasibility study with the overall purpose of assessing the current condition and management recommendations of woodland and grassland habitats which run alongside a 4 mile section of the M56 (and M60, A5103, A560) network within south Manchester. The key achievement of the study will be the development of a prioritised and costed action plan for the M56 wildlife network. As well as developing costed management actions, the feasibility work will undertake analysis of gaps in knowledge around factors such as legal status of land, current management arrangements, accessibility of habitats and opportunities for additional environmental benefits.

Wilder Druridge (Feasibility Study)

Managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust, this project will develop a landscape scale project that will focus on increasing biodiversity through increased habitat connectivity and the development of species action plans. It will also improve climate change resilience and address pollution issues across the Druridge Bay landscape, as well as improving visitor access and experience at key locations. This development phase will allow us to identify the opportunities within the community to deliver these benefits, on our own land and with third-party landowners. We will use this phase to scope out core sites for improvement works, and to develop costed work programmes, as well as consulting the local community on the improvements that they would like to see.

River Cole Valley (Feasibility Study)

This project will undertake a feasibility study along 12 km of the river Cole, to develop projects to reconnect the river to its floodplain and to undertake habitat enhancement. The ambition is to develop a regionally important, landscape-scale area rich in wildlife, from Solihull to Coleshill and river Blythe, with enhanced connectivity for biodiversity along 12 km of river.  The project will produce a full feasibility and costed detailed design work in preparation for an application for capital delivery funding. Ultimately the river, which has been previously dredged and channelised, will be reconnected to its flood plain.

Pollinating Cheshire

Cheshire Wildlife Trust is proposing to deliver an ambitious but fully achievable grassland enhancement and restoration scheme. Building on experience of the past 5 years, The Pollinating Cheshire project will aim to increase the floral and vegetative diversity of hay meadows and grassland across the county through a series of interventions. The aim of the project is to create a viable network of species-rich meadows that will act as stepping stones to reconnect areas of grassland through the wider countryside. They will be strategically linked to existing habitat to complement and extend wildlife networks and corridors through an increasingly intensively managed landscape.