Devon County Council

It often takes a few keen people to get a project off the ground and then others will join in.  If you are one of those people who has had a good idea for enhancing some aspect of the wildlife resource in your community then you will probably appreciate a little help with getting things started!  Talk to other like-minded people first and see if you can put a small group together to come up with some initial ideas and proposals and then encourage others to get involved.

Here are some ideas to get you started.  Not all of them will be appropriate to all situations.

Raising awareness of wildlife:

• Carry out wildlife surveys or a biodiversity audit of your area.  Get local people involved, use local experts, or link into existing wildlife initiatives.  What is rare, unusual or even characteristic?  How can you look after it? Is a habitat or species threatened?  Get expert advice if in doubt.

• Interpretation – provide information boards about a local nature reserve, devise a nature trail or prepare a booklet on the wildlife of the area.

• Talks and guided walks by experts will help raise awareness of your local wildlife resource.  Try to arrange speakers with local knowledge and expertise.

• Raise awareness of your wildlife – save a veteran tree, a flower meadow, an important hedgerow, or other valuable wildlife features that may be threatened with removal, damage or neglect.

• Get people involved in conservation, surveys and other local projects – clubs, schools, churches and other groups in the community could all join in.

• Conservation projects enhance the local environment for people as well as wildlife.  A healthy environment is good for human health and happiness. Link events to healthy living campaigns or opportunities to keep fit.

• Conservation projects can give people the chance to learn new skills.

Starting a conservation management project:

• Identify an area within your community that could benefit from being enhanced for wildlife.  It may be a public space, school grounds, farm or even your garden.  It may even be a whole Parish!

• Talk to others in the community about your ideas.

• Make enquiries with local conservation organizations and your local council about what wildlife might be present and what could be done to enhance the area.  Is there anything they can do to help you?

• Talk to the landowner to see if he/she supports your ideas.  Without their permission you will not get your project off the ground.

• Think about funding your project – how much will it cost?  Where will you get the money from?

• Crystallize your ideas and prepare a case which might include giving a talk or putting up posters to encourage others to join in.

• Be flexible.  Once others become involved you might find that they have other equally good ideas.

• Ask an expert to come along and give a talk about your local wildlife to encourage interest.

• Form a group and hold regular meetings to make sure that you are progressing your ideas and sharing tasks.

• Start to apply for funding or carry out fund-raising activities to raise some money.

• Organise a meeting on site and invite everyone to come along and hear your ideas.  Make it more attractive by providing hot drinks or offering a guided walk.

• Take photos of the site so you can compare ‘before’ with ‘after’.

• Once you have permissions and funding, and have a clear idea of what you want to do including detailed plans or drawings, if appropriate, you can start your project.  Organise work parties or action days for people to come along and help.  Take photos, invite the press!  Remember – have fun!

• Take photos of the finished project when it is first finished and after it has established.  Keep a record of the project for the community.

• Have a party to celebrate completion!

Supporting the Devon Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

The Devon Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) describes the key actions needed to look after 37 of Devon’s most important habitats and species.  It does not stand alone, but is part of a much wider process aimed at conserving our biodiversity. The Devon BAP can be viewed here. The Devon BAP is a direct descendent of a process started at the famous ‘Earth Summit’ held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.  At this summit, world leaders pledged to halt and reverse the loss of the planet’s biodiversity.  For its part, the UK government produced a series of Action Plans for a great many threatened habitats and species.  These national plans have been joined by a series of regional Action Plans aimed at providing a more local perspective.

The Devon BAP builds on this endeavour, identifying local priorities and providing targets and plans of action for the County.  

All of this work has one aim: to encourage practical action on the ground.  Its success depends upon us all.

Biodiversity links:

• Details of biodiversity planning in the South West region can be viewed at here.

• National Action Plans can be viewed at here. This site also contains useful background information on UK biodiversity action planning.

You may find that even small actions you take locally can help to support the objectives of the Devon BAP (and help to contribute to national targets for nature conservation).  Many examples of potential action listed under the habitat and species pages of this web site can help the Devon BAP, but here are a few more general examples:

a.   Survey.

Carrying out wildlife surveys within your area will help build a better picture of the wildlife present, and of the opportunities for enhancement.  Gaining a better understanding of the resource is usually a key objective of the Devon BAP’s habitat and species action plans. 

One example of survey work that might usefully be undertaken would be to produce a hedgerow appraisal for your local area.  Comparing the current distribution of hedges against boundary lines shown on old maps will give a clue as to how this important resource has changed over recent years.  It may also highlight opportunities for restoring hedges in your area.  It might also be possible to assess the condition of hedges and this may, in turn, give some ideas about improving their future management to benefit wildlife.

Survey work could be undertaken as a community group or in liaison with conservation groups active in the area.

Help to build up a picture of the state of Devon’s environment by sending your records to the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre where they can be properly collated.  An online recording form is available here.

b.   Influence the management of Public Open Space.

Creating areas of more species-rich grassland will help to reduce the isolation of the remaining fragments of traditionally managed agricultural land, contributing to the Flower-rich Meadows and Pastures Action Plan. Churchyards have often received less intensive management than the surrounding land and can provide good opportunities for wildlife.

Planting up areas that are currently of little wildlife interest with new copses of native trees and shrubs will also help to attract wildlife.  For example, suitable sites might include unused areas of playing fields.

c.   Build relationships with local landowners.

Encourage the adoption of more wildlife-friendly land management.  For example, hedges which are cut only every other year will provide an autumn and winter source of nuts and berries for birds and small mammals (and can save the landowner money in management costs).  The improved management of hedgerows is a key objective of the Species-rich Hedges Action Plan.  If the owner is willing, why not get involved with practical management, such as traditional hedge laying or pond restoration?

d.   Adopt a road verge.

Many verges can have a significant value for wildlife because they have escaped the intensive management of the surrounding farmland.  Ensuring such verges are managed for their wildlife is a very positive step, again contributing to the Flower-rich Meadows and Pastures Action Plan.

There are, of course, obvious health and safety implications to roadside management.  It is an action that would need to be undertaken in close liaison with the relevant highways authority (generally, this is the Highways Agency for motorways and trunk roads, and Devon County Council for all other roads).

e.   Wildlife gardening.

Green up your garden!   Collectively the gardens of your community represent a significant area that could be used to benefit wildlife. Large or small, you can turn your garden (or a part of it!) into a haven for wildlife.  A very good source of information on wildlife gardening is the Natural England web site.  This site also contains links to a number of other very useful sources of information. 

Natural England is the body charged by the Government with the ‘responsibility to ensure that England’s unique natural environment including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils are protected and improved. We also have the responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment’ (from Natural England’s Strategic Direction 2006-2009).

f.   Join local conservation organizations.

Examples of prominent local conservation organisations are the Devon Wildlife Trust, the Woodland Trust, RSPB and the National Trust.  These organisations have a number of Local Groups which, amongst other things, get involved in practical management work.

g.    Japanese Knotweed.

Not something to cherish, but it can’t be ignored!  Introduced into Britain by the Victorians, Japanese Knotweed is a native of Japan, north China, Korea and Taiwan.  It flourishes in Britain’s mild and fertile environment and has no natural biological enemies here.  Consequently, it is very invasive and can overrun large areas, replacing our native flora.  It is a serious pest which can be so vigorous as to cause significant damage to buildings and roads.  It is also a difficult plant to eradicate.

For these reasons Japanese Knotweed is listed under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as a plant that is not to be planted or otherwise introduced into the wild. In addition, all parts of the plant are considered as controlled waste under the Waste Regulations.

What can you do?

• Firstly, it is important to build up a picture of where Japanese Knotweed is present.  This will give an idea of the scale of the problem and will help to prevent it being accidentally spread during any ditch clearance, highway work and so on.  To help develop an understanding of the problem in Devon, records should be sent to the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre[1].   Ideally, records should include when you first saw it and confirmation of when it was seen most recently; its precise location (notes or a sketch map are helpful, as is a grid reference if you have one); the kind of habitat it is in (e.g. next to running water, on a road verge), and a rough indication of how abundant it is.

• Secondly, be careful not to spread the plant further!  This is all too easily done as it can regenerate from even the smallest fragment and is easy to spread unknowingly. It is important not to flail it or to try and dig it up.  Often, it is best not to cut Japanese Knotweed at all, but if it is it should be very carefully disposed of on site when dead or removed as Controlled Waste.  Any tools used should be properly cleaned.

• Finally, if Japanese Knotweed is on your land, the best way to prevent its spread is to control or eradicate it as soon as possible.  Regular cutting can weaken and eventually kill the plant but it is a time-consuming job and proper disposal of the cut material can be a problem.  Usually, the most effective method of control is to treat the plant with herbicide.  This can take a number of years to be successful but if the plant is left untreated it will inevitably spread.  A number of issues should be taken into account in deciding which herbicide to use, particularly the presence of water (where special care needs to be taken and the advice of the Environment Agency must be sought). 

Fortunately, a great deal of advice (including an Environment Agency Code of Practice) is available on the Devon Knotweed Forum’s web pages.

[1] DBRC, Shirehampton House, 35-37 St David's Hill, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4DA. Phone: 01392 273244; Fax: 01392 433221; E-mail: dbrc@devonwildlifetrust.org