Links & Resourses
Connectivity is vital for us all. This includes wildlife: animals, birds and plants don’t recognise boundaries and species that do become isolated are increasingly vulnerable.
Over the last couple of decades, there’s been a concerted push to create more bio-diverse hotspots but, despite this, the scientific data shows many species are still declining.
So, inspiring others to join in is key, and these projects and places are well worth a visit. Some are well established; others are at the start of their journey.
Please let us know of any inspirational places or projects that are missing, particularly in the local vicinity, and it would be great if any local landowners missing from the Long Ashton list could contact us to tell us what they’re doing or what they hope to do in the next year or so.
Long Ashton
-
Biodiversity at home: Every Garden Counts
-
Environment Committee (Parish Council)
-
Viridor: the closed site near Yanley Lane is now home to several skylark pairs, butterfly numbers and orchids have increased. On its website, Viridor states that it proactively protects and enhances biodiversity in its operational and services areas “through quality habitat creation, land management and restoration, good stewardship and environmental partnerships”.
-
Long Ashton Golf Course is attempting to catalogue all the trees within the boundaries of the course. To date over 1,300 individual trees have been identified and numbered with work on-going. So far, four of the species identified are classified in the IUCN Red List (i.e. endangered or critically endangered in the wild).
-
North Somerset District Council has identified sites to re-wild though none are in Long Ashton Parish.
-
Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary have purchased land to create a Wild Flower Meadow and new habitat to protect existing species and create a safe haven for wildlife affected by local housing development in neighbouring woodland.
Somerset
-
Wraxall: Watercress Farm is a new re-wilding project that only took off in 2020. It has a mix of pasture, hedgerow and woodland with healthy populations of yellowhammer, linnet and skylark. There are a couple of footpaths across the farm to give you a taste of what’s around.
-
Backwell Environmental Trust (BET) was founded in 2004 to protect and preserve the beautiful countryside surrounding the historic village of Backwell, North Somerset. BET presently owns and manages two nature reserves comprising nearly 22 acres in area. Both contain many rare and endangered species and have a fascinating history dating back at least 5,000 years. https://www.backwellenvironmenttrust.org/
-
Nailsea Environment & Wildlife Trust owns and manages Moorend Spout Nature Reserve. A particularly valuable wildlife habitat, it is 6 acres in size with a mixture of bramble and sedge, at the western end, a wet woodland in the centre and a meadow in the east. https://www.newtnailsea.org.uk
-
Yatton & Congresbury: Yatton & Congresbury Wildlife Action Group own and manage several nature reserves in the parishes. https://yacwag.org.uk
-
Somerset Wildlands: https://somersetwildlands.org/
-
Godney Marshes: https://godneymarshes.com/
-
Steart Marshes: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/steart-marshes/
-
Chesterblade Hills: https://chills.org.uk/
Somerset
-
Wraxall: Watercress Farm is a new re-wilding project that only took off in 2020. It has a mix of pasture, hedgerow and woodland with healthy populations of yellowhammer, linnet and skylark. There are a couple of footpaths across the farm to give you a taste of what’s around.
-
Backwell Environmental Trust (BET) was founded in 2004 to protect and preserve the beautiful countryside surrounding the historic village of Backwell, North Somerset. BET presently owns and manages two nature reserves comprising nearly 22 acres in area. Both contain many rare and endangered species and have a fascinating history dating back at least 5,000 years.
-
Nailsea Environment & Wildlife Trust owns and manages Moorend Spout Nature Reserve. A particularly valuable wildlife habitat, it is 6 acres in size with a mixture of bramble and sedge, at the western end, a wet woodland in the centre and a meadow in the east.
-
Yatton & Congresbury: Yatton & Congresbury Wildlife Action Group own and manage several nature reserves in the parishes.
-
Avon Needs Trees is buying land to plant and rewild, creating new, permanent woodland throughout the Bristol-Avon catchment area
-
Somerset Wildlands is raising money to buy and manage land, allowing it to provide space for nature restoration and rewilding.
-
Godney Marshes a personal project to create a little more wild space at the heart of the Somerset Levels – a beautiful area of marshes, woods, wetland and wet farmland situated just south of the Mendip Hills near Glastonbury.
-
Steart Marshes is the first of WWT's working wetlands. It provides flood defence for local homes and businesses, showcases productive farmland and is home to a thriving nature reserve. The project proves we can fight climate change by working with nature.
-
Chesterblade Hills aspires to be a place where nature and people can flourish together. Land is returning to nature, food is growing in harmony and people can enjoy time here in the natural world without impacting it negatively.
-
Forest of Avon Trust is one of England's Community Forests. It is not a single 'forest' but the combination of the many trees and woodlands across the West of England, formerly Avon: Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
-
Winterbourne and Frome Valley Environmental Group (WEG) is a community action group in South Gloucestershire (UK). They are a similar organisation to LANCE and aim to "think globally and act locally" to fight climate breakdown.
National
Many people have heard of Knepp Castle Estate in West Sussex and its story has captivated hundreds of thousands of people. Hearing dozens of nightingales sing - when, not so long ago, there were virtually none - gives us all hope. Knepp isn't the only place to embark on a major rewilding adventure. Here’s a link to Knepp plus a few others that have caught our eye including the national organisation, Rewilding Britain and a big chunk of projects in Scotland.
Scotland: