Creating Living Landscapes

Imagine a wildflower meadow cut-off from the nearest meadow by 10 miles , or a woodland cut-off from other woodlands by roads and development. What happens when the species within them need to move to find new habitat or mates?

Our Living Landscapes work aims to collaborate with farmers, local councils and businesses to achieve bigger, better and more joined-up areas for the benefit of wildlife and people. By working in partnership we can create ‘nature recovery networks’ that allow wildlife to exist everywhere and enrich our lives.

Landscape-scale conservation enables species to move in response to climate change and ensures that people interact with nature everywhere as part of our daily lives. We support others to embed nature at the heart of their decision-making to ensure we create a more sustainable future for everyone.

This approach is delivered through a range of schemes and projects including our Tame Valley Wetlands in the north-west of our area and the Dunsmore Living Landscape near Coventry. These schemes have secured multi-million pound grants to deliver positive change for the wildlife and people living in those areas. We are also in the Development Phase of our newest scheme: The River Sherbourne Valley Living Landscape which runs through the heart of Coventry. Meet the team working on the River Sherbourne Valley scheme.

In addition we work in partnership with farmers through projects like the Arden Farm Wildlife Network and our collaboration with Severn Trent to deliver agricultural advice to improve farming practices and reduce their impact on the environment.

We are also delivering a range of wetland projects across rivers throughout Warwickshire. These range from natural flood management projects that help to improve areas for wildlife whilst at the same time reducing the risk of flooding. Through to tackling invasive species such as Himalayan balsam using pioneering techniques such as biological controls. We also target our efforts to support the most endangered species in our area, delivering projects that support the recovery of species like water vole.

Alongside our extensive range of practical partnership projects another key area of our Living Landscapes work is providing scientific evidence and informed advice on how to recognize the benefits the natural world plays in all areas of society. We do this through our Habitat Biodiversity Auditing team and through our engagement work with housing developers, golf courses and other land managers.