Living Landscapes

A vision that:

stretches across Britain – over its countryside and towns
connects mosaics of habitats and green spaces
enables wildlife populations to move and expand
gives people a better place to live.

In our three Counties:

Bigger

Many nature reserves, while beautiful, are very small and simply will not survive if they remain their present size. The past 50 years of managing fragments of land have shown that the smallest natural fluctuations – a hot summer or a wet spring – can wipe out certain species from a site. And, in the present fragmented landscape, it is unlikely they will be able to return. So bigger nature reserves with more diverse habitats will give every species of plant and animal a better chance of surviving by protecting and enlarging their populations. This means species will be able to withstand more frequent extreme weather events.

Better

Individual nature reserves, large or small, will need even more careful management in future to maximise the range of ‘local microhabitats’ they provide. Such management will help species to survive adverse conditions and cope with pollution and people pressure. We will need to do more research to understand how best to protect them.

Joined up

Climate change will result in an overall movement of wildlife in a northerly direction. In 100 years’ time species that are currently living in our three counties may need to live in the north of England. Similarly species that will occur in our area in 100 years’ time are currently living in Kent, Sussex and mainland Europe. Our Living Landscapes vision aims to join up habitats and ensure land is hospitable to plants and animals so they can move and adapt to new climatic conditions. The whole of Britain – country and urban spaces alike – must become better connected: linked through green corridors that connect up richer wildlife areas or by ‘stepping stones’ of semi-natural habitat and small features within intensively used land.

In the countryside this can be achieved with well-managed hedges, uncultivated field margins and more natural river valleys. Towns can be linked through wildlife-friendly gardens, cycle ways and green spaces. For those species that can fly and move easily between patches of habitat – birds, insects, plants with wind-borne seeds – a rapid northward migration will prove less problematic. But for those who must travel on foot, an accessible network of wildlife-friendly landscapes is essential to survival.

It is not just wildlife that will benefit from a Living Landscape. These more resilient areas will give people a place to enjoy and explore. As urban Britain develops and expands, it is vital for our social and physical well-being that we remain in touch with green spaces. The chance to walk in a wood or listen to birdsong in the garden enhances a sense of belonging and mental well-being.

These Living Landscapes will also help us alleviate flooding by providing flood meadows and wetlands to soak up excess water. Carbon dioxide, a cause of climate change, will be reduced through sequestration of carbon – stored in the soil and absorbed into plant tissue – and wetlands and reedbeds will remove excess nutrients and harmful chemicals to cleanse water returning to rivers.

People

It is not just wildlife that will benefit from a Living Landscape. These larger, more resilient landscapes will give people a place to enjoy and explore. With urban Britain set to develop and expand, it is imperative for our social and physical wellbeing that we don’t cut ourselves off from greenspace. The chance to walk in a wood, listen to birdsong in the garden or watch wildlife in the local park enhances a sense of place and belonging. It also provides a great arena for healthy activities.

These landscapes will also help us alleviate flooding by providing flood meadows and wetlands to soak up excess water. Pollution will be minimised through sequestration of carbon – stored in the soil and absorbed into plant tissue – and wetlands and reedbeds can strip out nutrients and harmful chemicals to cleanse water going back into rivers.

A changing climate

Wildlife has suffered climate change before. Our three counties were in arctic conditions 13,000 years ago, with the ice sheet only a few miles to the north, permafrost in the ground and a tundra landscape.

The wildlife that thrives in Britain today lived much farther south around the Mediterranean. As the Ice Age ended, the world started to warm up and wildlife moved north.

Over the past three million years there have been about 20 ice ages; each one forcing our present wildlife to follow its climate back and forth between the Mediterranean and Britain.

Now circumstances are very different. The world’s temperature is increasing from an already warm period and Britain is now an island. But, by far, the biggest difference is us.

For hundreds of years humans have altered the landscape, and migrating wildlife is now faced with a terrain carved up by roads, railways, cities and towns. Intensive farmland and industry renders most of the countryside hostile to wildlife and semi-natural habitats survive mainly as small, isolated fragments. These barriers make northward migration virtually impossible for many species.

Wildlife on the move

To the north:

At the end of the last Ice Age, the mountain hare was common throughout lowland Britain. It would have been a regular sight in our three counties. As the climate warmed, the hares retreated northwards and now there is just a small population on the Pennines and Scottish mountains. The Pennine population will probably disappear within the next 20 or 30 years – the climate will become too warm for them and instead brown hares will be able to compete for their habitat. The Scottish population will survive a bit longer. But we may lose the mountain hare completely from Britain, and many other plants and animals may follow.

From the south:

On a more positive note, as the climate warms we could see new species moving into and thriving in our area. Until recently the little egret – a small white heron – was a rare visitor from southern Europe, only seen every three to four years. But during one mild winter in the early 1990s, unprecedented numbers arrived in south-west England and stayed to breed. In the last 10 years little egrets have spread over much of England, and bred for the first time in Cambridgeshire two years ago.

In your back garden

A Living Landscape can only happen if every piece of the jigsaw is in place. Everyone holds a vital piece of that jigsaw. We can all do our bit to create a Living Landscape by making our gardens wildlife-friendly.

Gardens are an incredibly important habitat for wildlife. They also help reduce the impacts of climate change by providing shade, absorbing carbon, soaking up flood water and helping to cool urban areas. Across the UK there are 15 million gardens covering about 270,000 ha – an area bigger than all the National Nature Reserves put together. Most gardens link with other gardens and create ‘green corridors’ through towns and cities. What you do on your patch could make a real difference to how well wildlife can move through the urban landscape.

Gardens are for people to enjoy and you don’t have to get rid of formal features like lawns and exotic plants to make yours wildlife friendly. Simply think about four essentials: food, water, shelter and a place to breed. If you can provide some of these in your garden, you will soon see the benefits to local wildlife. The other key is variety. The more features you offer, the more types of wildlife will be attracted to your garden.

Take a look at what’s in your garden and those of your neighbours and work out what is missing. Could there be more bushes to provide nesting places for birds? Do you have plants flowering early in the spring to give nectar to bees emerging on warm days? If your neighbour has a pond, could you provide a log pile for the frogs and newts to hibernate in over winter? The ways to ‘wild up’ your garden are endless and often very easy. You will not only see the rewards in your own garden, but you’ll know that your small patch is part of something even greater and more wonderful – a real Living Landscape.

Click here to listen to Brian Eversham, Chief Executive, explaining Living Landscapes and what it means for our three counties.

Click here for a map of the Living Landscape project areas.