Page 7 - Wildlife News August 2018

W alk across Greenham and Crookham Commons
and your gaze may be drawn skyward in search of a
serenading skylark high above, while the soft perfume
of sun-bright gorse flowers drifts on the breeze. You may be lucky
enough to catch the distant call of a cuckoo over at Thatcham
Reedbeds, or at dusk marvel at bats flitting around the wet
gulleys of Bowdown Woods.
Stand quietly and there’s every chance of glimpsing an adder
or lizard hunting among the stands of heather. Drop to your
knees and you’ll discover other fabulous gems such as the tiny,
delicate heath milkwort, kidney vetch and fairy flax.
This dazzlingly diverse landscape is the largest single area of
lowland heathland remaining in our region. It sits at the heart of
the West Berkshire Living Landscape, a 27km2 area that since 2006
has been the focus of several projects to improve habitats while
supporting the communities looking to connect with them.
Wildlife and people
The latest project is Linking the Landscape in West Berkshire, a
five-year project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and run
in partnership with West Berkshire Council. The project concludes
this winter and already the work of assessing its impacts and
successes has begun.
Linking the Landscape aims to link up the local landscape
for the benefit of wildlife then connect local people with this
fabulous resource. This has been achieved through practical work
to protect and enhance local wildlife and a busy programme of
events and training. An innovative, landscape-scale monitoring
and surveying scheme measures the project’s influence on the
area’s habitats and wildlife. All of this has been delivered by a
small team of staff and Conservation Trainees, working alongside
an amazing army of dedicated volunteers and local experts.
Reaching out
Significant efforts have been made to help people gain a greater
knowledge and appreciation of the landscape around them.
More than 100 community events have so far attracted upwards
of 10,000 people. These range from short training courses in
identifying birds from their songs through to regular activities
with children and young people such as Nature Tots and Teen
Rangers, and annual events like the Thatcham Community
Orchard Wassail and Apple Day.
The broad range of special habitats and species in the Linking
the Landscape area has resulted in an equally varied programme
of conservation and monitoring activities, undertaken by
volunteers and Conservation Trainees (the project has supported
23 trainees). There’s a lot to monitor and manage, from reedbeds
to wet woodland, heathland and scrub, as well as golf courses and
old quarries.
Local people have got involved too, for example in the
Community Orchard at the Nature Discovery Centre where a
group was formed to plant and care for local varieties of fruit trees
with training, tools and support provided through the project.
Work is underway to establish another community orchard group
at Inkpen Common.
Iconic local species such as adder and nightjar have been
surveyed to detect any changes in number over the course of the
project. It’s a difficult process and definitive conclusions are still
to be made, though one exciting finding we can report on is a
Young shoots
Linking the Landscape Community Engagement Officer
Karen Job explains how the project has reached out to local
young people
Teen Rangers has proved a very successful way
of reaching out to younger volunteers. (CHRIS BURCH)
Teen Rangers formed to connect young people with nature
and enhance their conservation skills. Every month up to
12 teenagers meet at local conservation sites to join in with
tasks to help wildlife. This year they have got stuck into scrub
removal, bat surveying and setting up coppice protection
in Bowdown Woods. They enjoy learning these practical
skills, so essential to healthy habitats, while picking up advice
from each other and BBOWT staff. It’s a sociable and relaxed
working environment, away from school stresses and where
hot chocolate is always available!
More than 35 teenagers have joined, with 15 participating
for 18 months or longer. In 2016 the group’s hard work was
recognised with a John Muir Discovery Award, a national
award scheme that encourages people to enjoy and care for
the natural environment.
The Teen Rangers legacy continues not only in West
Berkshire but across BBOWT as new groups continue to be
formed elsewhere.
steady increase in nightjars and, just last year, their appearance at
a new site, Snelsmore Common.
Lasting impact
The task of analysing all the data to produce final project reports
is now underway. We’ll be sharing findings at a conference for
interested parties. Our wonderful volunteers will work with
BBOWT staff to put the skills they have developed to good use,
while key volunteers will keep the groups that have formed in
touch with each other and BBOWT.
The wildlife of the West Berkshire Living Landscape will need
even more support as the pressures from development and climate
change grow. But the project has laid the groundwork required for
this special area and its wildlife to thrive into the future.
Go West!
n Wildlife in West Berkshire: What’s all the fuss about? Find
out with the free Wild Links app, part of the Linking the
Landscape project. The app is available for Android and
iPhone from the App Store or Google Play Store.
n Take part in one of many Linking the Landscape events.
Search online at bbowt.org.uk/whats-on or check your
guide to events.
n Explore the wildlife and nature reserves of the West
Berkshire Living Landscape, take a virtual tour or find out
how you too can volunteer: bbowt.org.uk/wbll
n Discover the principles behind the landscape-scale
monitoring and conservation work: bbowt.org.uk/caml
Wildlife news / August 2018 7