Island Life Magazine Ltd April / May 2016 | Page 74

COUNTRY LIFE

Photo: Comma butterfly by Dave Foker

Woodland

Wildlife Weekend

W

e are celebrating all things
woodland during our annual
Woodland Wildlife Weekend on
Saturday April 23 and Sunday April 24.
Woodland is home to more species
than any other land-based habitat in the
UK. However as with other wild habitats,
much of it only exists in isolated pockets
surrounded by urban development
or non-wildlife-friendly farmland.
Woodland once covered the majority of
Britain - but now only 3% of our land
is home to precious ancient woodland.
These fragments are under threat, but
also aren’t big enough to sustain our
local wildlife.
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www.visitilife.com

By Lianne de Mello, Hampshire
& Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust PR
and Communications Officer
That’s why we at the Wildlife Trust are
campaigning for joined-up spaces for
wildlife across the country, or what we
call ‘Living Landscapes’. For example
allowing room for wildflowers alongside
our crops, or leaving green corridors
through our towns and cities would be
a massive help for wildlife looking for
food and a home. Combined with wild
spaces like nature reserves, they could

provide a range of different habitats
for all kinds of flora and fauna. Most
importantly they would link up habitats,
rather than leaving them fragmented as
they are now.
Things have improved slightly for
woodland in recent decades.
Campaigners and conservation charities
like the Wildlife Trust successfully pushed
for the protection and restoration of
woodland areas over the years. The
Trusts got involved, and now look after
more than 400 woodlands across the UK
- from flower-strewn ancient woodlands
to wild coastal woods, damp and rich in
lichen and moss.