East Midlands Region

The Wildlife Trusts, east midlands

The Wildlife Trusts, East Midlands are Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trusts. Collectively we have over 60,000 members, 2,500 volunteers and 140 staff. We manage 270 nature reserves covering over 7,000 hectares and invest considerable funds, effort and expertise into conservation of the region’s wildlife each year.
 

Our vision is for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We work towards a purpose to 're-build biodiversity and engage people with their environment'.

Our Objectives

• To stand up for wildlife and the environment

• To protect and enhance biodiversity

• To inspire people and foster sustainable living

Large-scale delivery by the Wildlife Trusts 

We are working with partners to target habitat restoration within these large areas in order to link and expand available sites for wildlife.
As well as focussing on these large areas, we work at a local scale throughout the region, managing nature reserves, maintaining local wildlife sites, running projects and working with farmers, local authorities and other land managers to enhance their land for wildlife.

For further information on our regional work, please contact:

Charlotte Gault, Head of Regional Conservation Policy

regional.policy@nottswt.co.uk - 0115 958 8242

WILDLIFE TRUST LARGE AREA PROJECTS

We are working with partners to target habitat restoration within these large areas in order to link and expand available sites for wildlife.

In all these areas our work contributes towards widely agreed targets for conservation of biodiversity, by maintaining, enhancing and expanding threatened and declining habitats and species populations. This helps restore the region’s characteristic wildlife; at the same time creating areas of habitat large enough to help wildlife withstand and adapt to a changing climate.   

For more information on regional biodiversity targets and the regional Biodiversity Conservation Areas and Biodiversity Enhancement Areas that much of our work contributes towards and falls within, please see the Regional Biodiversity Strategy at the web address below. These targets and areas have been agreed by the Regional Biodiversity Forum, of which we are active members and we are proud to be contributing, with our partners, towards their fulfilment.      

East Midlands Regional Biodiversity Strategy:

http://www.emra.gov.uk/publications/documents/EMRBS-Jan2006.pdf

 

The OnTrent Initiative

The OnTrent Initiative is a partnership project involving a wide range of public, voluntary and commercial organisations. It is working to secure a sustainable balance between the natural and historic heritage, agriculture, commercial activity and development along the River Trent.

The area covered includes the low-lying land in parishes adjacent to the River Trent between Stoke-on-Trent and the Humber Estuary.

The Initiative works at a strategic level highlighting the issues facing the River Trent floodplain through influencing policy and raising awareness. It also promotes projects and activities that contribute to the aims of OnTrent. The Wildlife Trusts are key partners strategically and along the length of the river. We are involved in a number of projects that contribute to OnTrent’s aims, including the Trent Vale Landscape Partnership project, which recently secured £1.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund for community heritage initiatives.  

OnTrent has its own web-site at: http://www.ontrent.org.uk

 

DERBYSHIRE

Value in Meadows

A Derbyshire Wildlife Trust project, working with FWAG and Natural England amongst others, across the Peak Fringe Natural Area. This project is concerned with targeting areas of wildflower rich grassland for restoration and enhancement.

Semi-natural grasslands are those with a high proportion of native grasses and wildflowers. They have not been substantially agriculturally improved by cultivation, fertilisation or herbicides and have usually been managed either as low intensity pasture or hay meadow. A product of agricultural management over many years, semi-natural grasslands are wildlife havens, attractive landscape features and an important part of our rural and industrial heritage.

The objectives of the project, which started in March 2006, are to manage, restore and create semi-natural grasslands by:

·         Identifying and surveying the best examples of ancient pastures and meadows in the Derbyshire Dales;

·         Securing their long term future by providing support to landowners in overcoming barriers to their sustainable management, particularly by establishing a Local Grazing Scheme;

·         Establishing a local seed scheme identifying suitable donor meadows and making seed available to local grassland creation projects;

·         Raising public awareness and understanding of the value of semi-natural grasslands, and the role of farming in sustaining them;

·         Demonstrating the link between conservation and the local economy by exploring ways in which grassland owners and graziers can derive economic benefit from the management of grasslands;  

 

Transforming the Trent Valley

A long-term vision to create a wildlife corridor along the Derbyshire Trent Valley and restore this area to a rich variety of wetland habitats, reconnecting the river, the floodplain, the wildlife that depends on them and local communities.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is leading the project, which is focussed on a series of Trust reserves including Willington, Hilton Gravel Pits SSSI and Golden Brook Storage Lagoons.

Priority habitats include ancient and species-rich hedgerows, standing waters, reedbeds, swamps and mires, wet woodland and floodplain grazing marsh. The Trent Valley is of enormous importance both for its biodiversity and its rich history and archaeology.

 The objectives of this project, for which the Trust is seeking funding, are:

·         Protect and enhance existing wetlands, for example, improve habitat and species management on existing nature reserves in the Trent Valley; and establish as nature reserves the newly secured sites at Willington and Drakelow.

 

·         Encourage creation and restoration of new, high-quality wetlands in addition to reserves already mentioned - building partnerships with aggregate extraction companies and other landowners to secure maximum biodiversity gains.

 

·         Involve local communities in taking action through practical conservation and training opportunities - implement volunteer conservation activities, including monitoring work for wetland species.

 

·         Provide educational and recreational opportunities - implement an educational programme for local schools and a programme of public walks, talks and presentations.

 

Water for Wildlife in the Dove Valley

A Derbyshire Wildlife Trust project, working with partners such as Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, the National Trust and the Peak District National Park Authority to restore wetland habitats and species in the Dove Valley.

The Dove is an iconic fishing river and magnet for tourists. It has populations of many important species such as water vole and otter, and much of it is designated as SSSI or Local Wildlife Site. However its wildlife and landscape is at risk from invasive species, inappropriate management and climate change, and action is needed to create a robust network of wetland habitats along the length of the river.

 

The project objectives are:

 

·       Target known sites of high biodiversity value and secure the long term future of these by providing support to landowners

     in overcoming barriers to their sustainable management;

 

·         Create new areas of wetland habitat in strategic locations to link and/or extend the existing resource, resulting in large scale connected areas of high quality habitat; 

 

·         Raise public awareness and understanding of the value of wetlands, and the role of landowners in sustaining them;

 

·        Generate information and experience to support future action in Derbyshire and assist the development of similar projects elsewhere;

 

·         Protect vulnerable water vole populations by controlling American mink.

 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Idle Valley Project

The River Idle runs through Retford and this project covers 450 ha of river valley to the north of the town. 

The aims of the project are to restore mixed wetland habitats across this site and to enable people to enjoy and learn about this. At present the area combines remnants of wet grassland with restored gravel pits and some farmed land. Extending the grassland and creating lakes of high wildlife value will form key elements of the restoration. A new education and visitor centre will help people enjoy the site and bring a new education facility to the area, with a path network, hides and viewing screens to follow.        

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is working with partners including Tarmac, Nottinghamshire County Council, Bassetlaw District Council, East Midlands Development Agency, the Environment Agency, Natural England and North Nottinghamshire College.

Part of the site was acquired by the Wildlife Trust in 2007, with further areas following over the next five to ten years. Applications for funding for the remainder of the project are currently being developed.

 

North Nottinghamshire Woodlands

This project focuses upon over 2,000 ha of land, including and surrounding the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust reserves at Eaton, Gamston and Treswell Woods.

The area is predominantly arable farmland but with a strong remaining network of native broadleaved woodlands and hedgerows which are important for woodland bats such as noctule, woodland birds and invertebrates such as purple hairstreak. The woods have been reduced in size and are heavily affected by adjacent farming practices. There have also been significant losses of other key habitats and species, such as farm ponds of value for amphibians. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has already re-established traditional coppicing regimes on its land to help enhance the diversity of ground flora and its value for invertebrates.

The project aims are to:

·         Undertake exemplary management of Wildlife Trust owned land.

·         Work with landowners to increase the wildlife value of farmed land.

·         Link woodlands through conservation and augmentation of hedgerows.

·         Create new areas of native broadleaved woodland that will be of value to both wildlife and landowners.

·         Establish a great enough area of woodland that sustainable management becomes more economically viable in the long term.

Partners include Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Forestry Commission and local landowners. Contact has been made with several landowners and advice given, but progress is currently constrained by lack of funding.

 

Rainworth Area Project  

This area of lowland heathland, acid grassland and oak-birch woodland, extends over 4,000 ha along the eastern edge of Mansfield, from Rainworth to Clipstone.

These habitats are of high conservation importance and support many species rare in the region, including reptiles, nightjar, woodlark, noctule and Leislers bats, as well as many veteran trees.

The project’s aim is to work with landowners and partners to protect, conserve and expand these characteristic Sherwood habitats and to develop a significant cultural resource.

At the moment the land is used variously as farmland, forestry plantation, former pit tips, publicly owned country park, privately owned woodland, a sand quarry, a business park and a golf course. Rainworth Heath is owned and Strawberry Hill Heath leased by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, while Oak Tree Heath is owned by Mansfield District Council.  

The project partners working with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, are the Forestry Commission, Mansfield District Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Natural England, Sherwood Forest Trust and Newark & Sherwood District Council.

Project targets include to: 

·         Protect, conserve and expand populations of the characteristic Sherwood species, reptiles, nightjar, woodlark, noctule and Lieslers bats;

·         Expand the existing Wildlife Trust reserves;

·         Develop a programme of environmental education and community engagement in the area;

·         Work with the local authorities to declare key sites as Local Nature Reserves.

The project is at an early development stage with basic information collection and scoping of its feasibility underway.

 

Sherwood Forest

This extensive project covers the whole of the Sherwood Forest Natural Area in central Nottinghamshire.

The Sherwood Forest area includes a number of sites of national and international, as well as local importance for conservation, including Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, Birklands and Bilhaugh Special Area for Conservation and many heathland SSSIs including a Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve, Rainworth Heath SSSI. Other land uses include commercial forestry, arable farming, ex-mineral land and MoD land. 

The characteristic mosaic of habitats includes heathland, acid grassland, oak-birch woodland, marsh, streams and support rare species including nightjar, woodlark, white clawed crayfish, Leisler’s bat and water voles.

The project aims are to:

·         Recreate substantial areas of lowland heathland and acid grassland

·         Link existing SSSIs and Local Wildlife Sites

·         Restore former heathland sites, including some of those currently under commercial forestry

·         Involve and engage local communities in their local environment

·         Improve quality of life in the area for local people

·         Achieve landscape-scale sustainable land management

·         Make the area more attractive for visitors.

The project’s many partners include Natural England, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, Nottinghamshire County Council, The Forestry Commission, Sherwood Forest Trust, The Ministry of Defence, FWAG, Local Authorities, emda, landowners and mineral companies.

Substantial progress has been achieved over the last few years in habitat creation and land management, the introduction of a ‘flying flock’ for conservation grazing, managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and extensive education and community work.

 

The Trent Holmes Project

This project covers over 4,500 ha along the Trent floodplain in Nottinghamshire, from North Muskham to Dunham Bridge.

The aims are to:

·         Provide demonstrable benefits for flood alleviation and water resource management;

·         Restore the former biodiversity of the Trent Valley;

·         Provide an enhanced quality of life for local communities through a high quality landscape, increased opportunities for informal recreation, and opportunities for involvement in eco-tourism;

·         Maintain landowner incomes at economically sustainable levels but within a diverse landscape;

·         Enhance and strengthen the identity of the Trent Valley as a high quality, living landscape of exceptional wildlife value.  

Important habitats in the area are lowland wet grassland, reedbed, wet woodland, species rich grassland and lowland heath. These are inhabited by, amongst other species; redshank, curlew, lapwing, bittern, bearded tit, water voles, otters and a variety of dragonflies and damselflies. The area also contains extensive and diverse archaeological resources dating from palaeolithic times onwards and retains a rare grazing system – another cultural asset.

Current land uses include arable and pasture farmland and mineral extraction sites. Nature reserves are owned by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust at Besthorpe, Spalford Warren, North Muskham and Brierley’s Meadow and by RSPB at Langford Lowfields.

Project partners are the Environment Agency, Natural England, Nottinghamshire County Council, On Trent, Trent Vale Partnership Project, Newark Internal Drainage Board, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Parish Councils, mineral operators, FWAG and RSPB.

The project is at an early development stage, with some funds secured other bids in progress and a small area of wet grassland purchased. Partners are being engaged and community consultation commenced in late 2006. The recent successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund by the Trent Vale Partnership has ensured that funds will be forthcoming to help the delivery of our aims in the Holmes Area. These will include a natural and historic heritage conservation grant scheme for farmers and local communities, a grazing project and the creation of reedbed at our Besthorpe Reserve.

As it develops, partners will aim to secure agri-environmental and other grants to support farming livelihoods; develop an extensive environmental education and community engagement resource and create extensive linked areas of the above habitats, also conserving and expanding populations of characteristic species.

 

LINCOLNSHIRE

Coversands Heathland

The lowland heathland of the Coversands are found in the northern half of the historic county of Lincolnshire and the eastern edge of Nottinghamshire. Two hundred years ago there was more than 60,000 ha of Coversands, but this has dwindled to around 700 ha.

The Coversands project has been successful in beginning the process of re-creating heathland and acid grassland. Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has extended its Coversands nature reserves at Scotton Common and Kirkby Moor and will be managing them to ensure successful establishment of heathland vegetation.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is working in partnership with Natural England, Forest Enterprise and three local authorities, with substantial funding coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Natural England’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund.

 

Lincolnshire Limewoods

Between Market Rasen in the north and Woodhall Spa in the south, the Lincolnshire Limewoods are the most important woods in Britain for small-leaved lime trees and their very rich ancient woodland plant and animal communities. 

The woodlands lie in an intensively farmed landscape and are generally isolated from each other. A partnership involving Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Forestry Commission, Lincolnshire County Council and others is working to improve woodland management, expand existing woodlands and re-establish wildlife corridors between them.

A substantial grant has been given by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Wildlife Trust has received funding from Natural England / Defra Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund. The Wildlife Trust has already doubled the size of its Goslings Corner limewood nature reserve, planting native trees and creating pasture.

 

Lincolnshire Wolds

The Lincolnshire Wolds lie in the north-east of the county, stretching from around Spilsby in the south to the Humber Estuary. The area contains all the county’s chalk grassland and chalk streams, set in a predominantly arable landscape. 

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has carried out baseline ecological studies within the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to identify the most important places for wildlife. Grant schemes, advice and practical management can now be targeted towards their conservation, enhancement and linkage. A project officer has been appointed to provide advice and assistance to enhance chalk steam habitats.  The Trust’s most significant nature reserve within the Wolds is Red Hill where 23 ha of arable land is being returned to chalk grassland adjacent to the core reserve area, a SSSI.  

Most of the Natural Area is designated as an AONB, with management steered by a Joint Advisory Committee on which the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is represented. The Trust is also a partner, together with the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service, Natural England and the Wild Trout Trust, in the ‘Water for Wildlife Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project’.

 

Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marsh

The Outmarsh of the Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marshes stretches from Skegness to Cleethorpes. Its landscape was once characterised by long, narrow grass fields separated by a network of water-filled ditches. Over the last 50 years, more and more of this pasture has been cultivated and now grows arable crops. 25% of remaining grassland was ploughed between 1990 and 2000. The water table has been lowered and few areas now provide ideal conditions for birds such as snipe and lapwing to breed, standing water in winter to attract flocks of coastal wading birds, or permanently wet ditches supporting water voles, eels, damselflies and dragonflies.

This project’s vision for the future is:

‘The Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marsh will once again have extensive grassland landscapes rich in wildlife, intersected by a distinctive pattern of water courses.  Within this landscape, pastoral farming thrives and local communities have a high quality of life. The area is attractive to local people and visitors, with year-round opportunities to experience the natural and historic environment through improved access, helping to develop and sustain a vibrant rural economy.’

The project currently involves Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, East Lindsey District Council, English Heritage, Environment Agency, FWAG, Lincolnshire County Council, Lindsey Marsh Drainage Board and Natural England. Together we are working to find means of increasing the incentives for pastoral farming and seven areas have been selected as priorities for action.

With grant aid from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Wildlife Trust is employing a Project Officer to provide advice and assistance to farmers.  The Trust has also secured a project planning grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a Landscape Partnerships Scheme to provide additional support for the marshes.

On its own land, the Wildlife Trust is taking the lead in restoring grazing marsh inland from its reserves at Gibraltar Point (30 ha grazing marsh re-created from arable land) and Saltfleetby (40 ha farmland now buffering the dunes). It is also seeking to acquire land to re-establish grazing marsh to buffer the five Sea Bank Clay Pits and to work in partnership to develop a coastal country park and Local Nature Reserve between Chapel Point and Sandilands.

 

Lincolnshire and Rutland Limestone Natural Area Project

This Natural Area stretches north from Peterborough to Lincoln and is characterised geologically by a band of oolitic limestone, which supports a particular type of grassland flora. Once nationally renowned for its flower-rich grasslands, the remnants are now few and far between.

Through targeting of grants, the Lincolnshire and the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trusts and Natural England believe extensive grasslands can be re-created.  The re-establishment of grassland at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's Robert's Field Nature Reserve shows what can be achieved. Grants from Natural England and Lincolnshire Aggregates Levy Sustainability Funds have helped establish priorities.

We are now seeking funds to employ a project officer to work with farmers, mineral companies and other landowners. As much of the remaining grassland is found on roadside verges, we are arranging a workshop to discuss how best to manage the most important verges.

 

Baston and Thurlby Fens

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust nature reserves at Baston and Thurlby Fens are the most important remaining areas of wet fenland in Lincolnshire and the last strongholds for many rare and endangered plants and animals. Less than 1% of eastern England's 'wild fen' wetlands remain. Our vision is to re-create up to 800 ha of wetland and other wildlife habitat in an area surrounding the reserves.

As owner of the core area, the Wildlife Trust is leading a partnership including Environment Agency, FWAG, Lincolnshire County Council, Natural England, South Kesteven District Council and Welland and Deepings Internal Drainage Board. The new Environmental Stewardship grants will be critical to the success of the scheme, providing incentives for landowners to opt into the project. Additional opportunities are being pursued to develop wetland habitat through restoration of nearby gravel pits.

 

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND

Charnwood Forest

Located in north-west Leicestershire, covering about 12,500 ha, Charnwood Forest consists of a patchwork of woodland, farmland, country parks, nature reserves and villages. The habitat available to wildlife has diminished significantly over the last 60 years.

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is working with Charnwood Borough Council, Natural England, Leicestershire County Council, The National Forest Company and others, to restore a mixture of woodland, wood-pasture, heath-grassland and meadow habitats. The area is also important for its geological features, which will be incorporated in the habitat restoration plans.   

The Wildlife Trust owns numerous nature reserves in the area, which may be expanded and linked to extend the available wildlife habitat. The largest of these include Charnwood Lodge, Ulverscroft and Charley Woods. We have obtained funding to produce an opportunity map of this area, to set up a long-term monitoring project on two of its largest reserves and to increase advice to Local Wildlife Site owners.

 

Soar and Wreake Floodplain

The floodplain of the Soar and Wreake rivers, in central Leicestershire, covers about 6,000 ha, with land uses including pasture, some arable, gravel pits, urban, roads, country park and nature reserves. Important wildlife habitats - as well as the rivers themselves, which are home to otters and rare water beetles - include wetlands, supporting many wintering and migrating birds, water voles and dragonflies, wet woodland and hay meadows. 

The vision for this project is that by acquiring land for nature reserves and working with landowners, the Soar and Wreake floodplain will become a mixture of old and new landscapes, where nature has room to function, wildlife can thrive and people can work and enjoy themselves. Charnwood Borough Council, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and local community groups are working together to achieve this.

The Wildlife Trust owns nature reserves in the area, including Cossington Meadows, Loughborough Meadows and Narborough Bog. The project aims to provide 400ha of new nature reserves by 2050 and a further 600ha of other land managed with nature conservation a priority, by means including agri-environment funding.

New nature reserves have already been purchased at Cossington, Mountsorrel and Wanlip; a habitat survey of much of the floodplain carried out; advice given to many landowners; work on private land supported through Defra’s Environmental Action Fund and Biffa landfill-tax funding; practical events organised for volunteers and a guided walks programme is underway. The Wildlife Trust has obtained funding to produce an opportunity map of this area, to set up a long-term monitoring project on two of its reserves and to increase advice to Local Wildlife Site owners.

 

Leighfield Forest

Spanning parts of east Leicestershire and west Rutland, Leighfield Forest covers about 12,500ha. The forest combines ancient woodland, pasture, some arable farming and small villages but the size and quality of wildlife habitat has declined.

The Wildlife Trust is working with Natural England, FWAG and Leicestershire County Council, to restore and reconnect ancient woodlands where appropriate, so reducing their isolation in the landscape.

Conifers have already been removed from several woods, including the Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Launde Park Wood and the Forest Enterprise plantation at Owston Woods. The Forestry Commission JIGSAW scheme has been used to assist in restoring and reconnecting ancient woods through creation of new native woodlands. 

 

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Nene Valley

The project area encompasses both the flood plain and valley sides of the Nene, from Weedon to the County boundary at Wansford and beyond into Peterborough. The low-lying grasslands, with extensive ditches and marsh areas, would have been common in the past but have gradually been lost to mineral extraction and agricultural intensification, so that very few flower-rich grasslands now survive. Water-filled gravel pits are a dominant feature of the valley and many have recently been acknowledged to be of international importance for birds and wetland habitats.

Working within the River Nene Regional Park initiative the Trust aims to create a regionally-important community and biodiversity resource, providing a major component of the much needed Green Infrastructure for the area. The Wildlife Trust is working with the Environment Agency, Natural England and other land managers to enhance wetland habitats through habitat creation and reconnection of the river with its floodplain. Habitat creation will focus on wet and marshy grasslands and wet woodlands whilst existing open water habitats will be enhanced.

The Wildlife Trust manages 12 nature reserves in this area, in both urban and rural locations and will take the lead on large-scale habitat creation by expanding from our reserves at Wellingborough, Rushden and Thrapston.

Summer Leys, near Wellingborough, was restored for conservation after gravel extraction and is one of the top bird watching sites in the region. Work with the River Nene Regional Park and local landowners should enable expansion of the reserve and enhancement to surrounding areas over the next few years. Ditchford Lakes and Meadows and Wilson’s Pits near Rushden cover over 60ha of gravel pit and grassland. Work with landowners local authorities and developers will seek to provide access and biodiversity links from Wellingborough with Stanwick Lakes, building from these existing reserves. Titchmarsh is one of the Trust’s oldest nature reserves and at 72 hectares supports large numbers of wintering birds and the largest heron colony in the county. Opportunities for reserve expansion and floodplain-wide management are being explored.

 

Northamptonshire Limestone

Oolitic limestone geology lies close to the ground surface in north Northamptonshire and where it is exposed, naturally or through mineral extraction, it supports some fine calcareous grassland. Many of the wild flowers present are rare in this county and include dyer’s greenweed, wild thyme and viper's bugloss. Habitat enhancement opportunities are associated with old quarries and ironstone gullets, where bare ground favours heat-loving invertebrates such as the bombardier beetle and grizzled skipper butterfly.

Local community, businesses, Natural England and the County Council have assisted the Wildlife Trust to purchase Old Sulehay Forest in 2001 and Ring Haw in 2002. Old Sulehay Nature Reserve is made up of a mosaic of limestone quarries, grassland, woodland and wetland habitats covering over 85 ha. 12 ha of ex-arable land, on Sammock’s Hill, is being transformed back to its original limestone grassland and should provide a local seed-source for future restoration projects in the area.

Beyond the reserve boundaries the Wildlife Trust is working with landowners and local authorities to identify important limestone grassland areas and promote sympathetic management and habitat creation.

 

Daventry Acid Grasslands

The Wildlife Trust is working with Natural England, The Grasslands Trust, district councils and local landowners to restore and reconnect ancient grasslands and woodlands in areas where underlying sandy soils can support acid loving species. Desktop mapping and habitat survey work has identified areas where there is the greatest possibility of recreating these lost habitats. Survey work completed in the summer of 2006 focussed on permanent pasture as well as arable areas as it appears that these areas still support some acid grassland species and may offer improved habitat creation potential.

Major opportunities for acid grassland and heathland creation lie between the Dallington and Harlestone area at the northern edge of Northampton. Although much of this area has been planted with conifers, periodic felling of these trees has shown that important plant and animal species still survive within cleared areas. With the intended growth of Northampton town, these areas will become increasingly important “green lungs” to local people and the Wildlife Trust will work with the local authority and developers to ensure the most is made of these opportunities.

 

Boulder Clay Woodlands

Large concentrations of ancient woodlands in Northamptonshire are associated with fragments of the ancient royal hunting forests of Rockingham and Yardley-Whittlewood, extending from Wansford to Kettering and from Brackley to Bozeat respectively.

The Wildlife Trust is working with the Forestry Commission, local authorities, landowners and the River Nene Regional Park initiative to build up-to-date information on the state of these woodlands and identify opportunities for woodland creation through natural succession. The Forestry Commission is leading an ancient woodland project, which seeks to restore planted ancient woodland sites through gradual removal of plantations overlying ancient sites.

The Wildlife Trust manages three important woodlands within the Rockingham Forest which are relatively close together. Covering 76 hectares in total these three woodlands are separated by as little as 300 metres and so opportunities for woodland linkage are clear. Glapthorn Cow Pastures and Short Wood are SSSIs and contain ancient woodland and scrub habitats supporting violet helleborine, black hairstreak and nightingale. Southwick Wood is a Local Wildlife Site within which extensive felling of elm took place but which still supports ancient woodland fragments with wood melick and butterfly orchid.

In October 2007 The Wildlife Trust completed the first step in linking these woodlands together by acquiring the freehold of Southwick Wood and the arable field linking this site to Short wood. Restoration of this field will begin during 2008. The Trust continues to discuss opportunities for linkage and buffering of these woods with landowners and aim to promote natural regeneration of woodland and ride-side habitats.