Features from Wildlife magazine Wildlife articles 2008 -- Spring 2008 -- ::Severn Barrage ::The Variety of life ::A year at Willsbridge ::Willsbridge comes of age ::Reaching out - Willsbridge ::Round the reserves Wildlife articles 2007 -- Autumn 2007 -- ::Thinking BIG ::Watery webs:the pond network ::Wildlife in the landscape ::Variety of life ::How to be a climate friend ::Seasonal stroll - Walborough ::Round the reserves -- Summer 2007 -- ::The Folly Farm appeal ::Weston Big Wood-biodiversity at its best ::The variety of life ::How to capture a butterfly ::How to get to know an orchid ::Seasonal stroll - WestonBigWood ::Reserves update -- Spring 2007 -- ::Folly Farm - a very special place ::Making a difference at Folly Farm ::How find the magic at Folly Farm ::Seasonal stroll at Folly Farm ::Magic spots at Folly Farm ::Batscapes ::Climate challenge ::Variety of Life - the Ponways project ::Round the reserves Wildlife articles 2006 -- Autumn 2006 -- ::The Severn Estuary ::Bird Watch results ::How to identify garden birds ::Making space for wildlife ::How does your garden grow? ::Round the reserves -- Summer 2006 -- ::Going for green ::Stand up and be counted ::Happy birthday NSLMP ::Holi day - a riot of spring colour ::Avon's species-rich grassland ::How to photograph dragonflies ::The Big Switch ::Round the reserves -- Spring 2006 -- ::How to identify winter water birds ::Make 2006 the year you... ::Invasive invasion ::Sowing the seeds: Willsbridge Mill ::Round the reserves Wildlife articles 2005 -- Autumn 2005 -- ::Indentify common funghi ::Build a hedgehog hideaway ::Big Bird Watch ::Champions for wildlife ::Round the reserves ::Seeds of the futre: Willsbridge Mill -- Summer 2005 -- ::Restoring Folly Farm ::How to become bee-friendly ::How to identify the butterflies of spring ::Save our seas ::The variety of life: hedgerows ::Round the reserves ::25 Ways to make a difference -- Spring 2005 -- ::The variety of life: water voles ::The Avon Biodiversity Action Plan ::How to take really good wildlife photos ::How to help your garden grow ::Round the reserves ::Seasonal strolls: Browns Folly ::Sowing the seeds: for wildlife for people ::Sowing the seeds: looking back

Living Landscapes

Thinking big

A landscape rich with wildflower meadows, awash with butterflies and birds, where dormice travel through an unbroken network of hedgerows and bats fly overhead. The Trust’s mission is to achieve this vision, and our nature reserves provide vital oases for wildlife within the wider countryside. However, to attain a wildlife-rich landscape we need to look further and think bigger.

Working on a landscape scale
The Wildlife Trusts in the South West have been working together in recent years on the ‘Rebuilding Biodiversity’ initiative to develop ambitious landscape scale projects which aim to create and link together areas of priority wildlife habitats into robust and extensive networks. These will exist within the framework of wider landscapes that are in themselves more wildlife-friendly.

This came about through recognition that most traditional conservation sites are too small and too isolated to be sure that wildlife can be sufficiently safeguarded in the long-term, particularly when threatened by climate change. The Rebuilding Biodiversity programme provided a scientifically-based framework for identifying these large tracts of land. Last year the Wildlife Trusts in Somerset and Wiltshire began to implement large-area projects in the Mendip Hills and in Braydon Forest. During 2007 the Trusts in Dorset, Devon and Gloucestershire have also been preparing to launch their own large-area projects. And across the UK, other Wildlife Trusts are also starting to develop their own programmes, such as the Great Fen Project (www.greatfen.org.uk) in Cambridgeshire.

Wildlife Wealth
In the Avon area, we are focussing on wildflower-rich grasslands, particularly in the Cotswolds in the east of the county and the Mendip fringes in the south. Wildflower-rich grasslands are of immense conservation value because of the great variety of plants and animals they support, many of which are in serious decline at a national level. This includes mammals such as greater horseshoe bat and brown hare, many birds which use grasslands for nesting and feeding, like the skylark, and invertebrates including rare butterflies such as small-pearl bordered fritillary. Our remaining old grassland sites provide a strong link with our farming heritage and traditional landscapes, adding colour to the landscape and contributing to the character of the area.

A Helping Hand
We plan to work closely with our many partners, as we look at what is needed to conserve and restore our grasslands. In some cases landowners may need assistance with applications for Environmental Stewardship grants or specific wildlife management advice. In other cases, fencing and water may be required to allow cattle to graze the land, or matching up grassland sites with people who have suitable grazing animals. Restoration work may involve practical work-days to clear scrub, or helping farmers establish the best grazing regime.

It may also be possible to create new grasslands, where the conditions are right, by collecting wildflower seeds or green hay from one site and applying it to another one nearby. We also recognise that for long term sustainability people need to be able to make a living from the land, so it will also be important to look at the rural economy and markets for locally produced and handcrafted traditional products. Over a 5-year time span this project will create larger, more robust wildlife habitats, with the most valuable areas expanded and connected to other wildlife sites.

A chance for change
Another vitally important factor in this approach is that research is now indicating that this is our best approach to dealing with the possible effects of climate change on wildlife. The erratic summer weather just experienced may or may not be due to climate change, but we do know our climate has been warming for a century and wildlife is already showing clear signs of changing as a result. Spring is coming sooner, trees coming into leaf earlier which means that if the woodland canopy forms too early, common bluebells may not get enough light to replenish their bulbs and so will become weakened. Species may respond to climate change in different ways, which can lead to the loss of synchronicity within a food chain – for example, butterflies, such as the holly blue are emerging earlier, but this may not coincide with the flowering of their nectar plants. Mild winters can be beneficial for birds as more insect food is available. But for hibernating mammals, like dormice, a warm spell can break hibernation, causing them to deplete their energy supplies. As always, the ecological response to change is complicated and difficult to predict.

Climate friendly future
As conservationists, we can try to create the right conditions to give species the best chance to adapt to change. Wildlife needs space to respond, it needs large areas of well-managed land, offering habitats with a balanced ‘structure’ and a range of aspects. Valuable areas need to be connected by significant wildlife corridors to allow for movement of the more mobile species. Within our towns and cities the management of our open spaces and the protection of green corridors to link urban areas to the surrounding countryside are vital. The Trust has been working on the development of the ‘Green Infrastructure’ concept to ensure that continuous networks of green space can be created in the planning of the extensive housing and commercial developments proposed for Avon in the next 20 years. At a personal level how we garden can make a huge difference to local wildlife populations. Reducing our carbon footprint is also essential if we are to lessen the future effects of climate change. You can read more about becoming a Climate Friend on page 10.

Our Living Landscapes Project
The Trust needs to raise £400,000 for this 5-year project. This autumn a funding bid is being submitted to the Tubney charitable trust, which has already generously funded five of the other Wildlife Trusts in the South West as part of a co-ordinated regional programme. The Trust will still, however, need to raise a considerable sum since the Tubney trust requires more than 50% matched funding in its awards.

We are determined to be successful because the Trust’s vision of a living landscape, for wildlife and for people, is more urgent today than it has ever been.
For further information contact Lucy Rogers, Head of Biodiversity, on 0117 917 7270 or email lucyrogers@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk