Create large areas for wildlife and establish ecological networks

An ecological network improves the way wild places link up and allows species to move and disperse. It enhances the resilience of the landscape and increases the chance of plants and animals adapting to changing conditions.

What is an ecological network? Click here to find out

In some areas we already have good basic networks to build on – river valleys, hedgerows, heaths, woods and downland grassland are good examples. Nevertheless, many wild places are cut off from each other through intensive agricultural use, housing development and infrastructure such as roads. From a wildlife perspective, linking habitat patches will enable the landscape to function as one large unit. Large units contain more variety, are more able to
support viable populations of plants and animals allowing them to spread naturally.

A network expands existing wild places by creating ‘stepping stones’ and ‘corridors’ to link one area to another, resulting in a general improvement to the environmental quality of the whole area.

Conserving existing high quality areas is, however, critical to the development and value of ecological networks. These form core areas that will populate the rest of the network once connections are improved.

An ecological network should be viewed in terms of a map of opportunity, not constraint. Wildlife sites connected by linkages and buffer strips within the broad Sussex landscape should be viewed as a positive step forward for wildlife, nature and natural processes.

Brown long eared bat / Hugh Clark

ACTION

We are the leading partner in the West Weald Landscape Project (WWLP) which aims to enhance the area through an integrated landscape-scale approach. This will create space for nature, encouraging natural processes and expanding the services provided by ecosystems such as clean air and water. In addition to stabilising and enhancing the biodiversity of core forest areas, we are working to create better connections enabling species to thrive within and move between sites.

For more information please visit the project website: www.westweald.org.uk