£420,000 lottery boost for Hertfordshire woodland restoration project

A vision for a living landscape

July 2011: Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust are embarking on a huge project to restore and raise awareness of woodlands in South Hertfordshire, backed by a grant of £420,000 from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

PROTECTING HABITATS: The white admiral butterfly is one of the animals set to benefit from the project

The three-year Woodlands for People and Wildlife project starts in September and will focus on Gobions Wood and Fir and Pond Woods Nature Reserves near Potters Bar and Balls Wood Nature Reserve near Hertford.

The local community will play a key role in the project. Around 100 volunteers will be recruited to assist Wildlife Trust staff with work to improve the habitats for wildlife, surveying key species including butterflies, bats, reptiles and amphibians and helping to run a programme of guided walks and community events.

The natural world has been hugely fragmented
The Woodlands for People and Wildlife project forms an important part of the trust's vision of a living landscape, which sees nature restored on a big scale. Tom Day, head of Living Landscapes said: ‘The natural world has been hugely fragmented; protecting wildlife on nature reserves alone will not stop the decline in biodiversity the UK is experiencing.

‘That's why The Wildlife Trusts are looking at the bigger picture. We're working with landowners and local communities to join up fragments of habitat so our wildlife has room to adapt and move, and so that people can get close to the natural world wherever they live.'

The project will provide opportunities for people to learn about woodland wildlife and explore the nature reserves through a series of open days and other activities, which will highlight the importance and value of these special places.

An important part of our shared heritage
Robyn Llewellyn, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund East of England, said: ‘These ancient woodlands and heathland are an important part of our shared natural heritage. Valuing and learning about our natural environment is vital to ensure that we preserve our precious woodlands for future generations.

‘Thanks to lottery players, many more people will be able to get involved, learn about and appreciate these living landscapes.' 

Information and access for visitors to the woodlands will be improved with new signage and paths. Vital conservation work will include pond creation, the restoration of woodland ‘rides' that allow a greater diversity of woodland plants and animals to thrive and management of the older woodland trees.

Key species that should benefit include white admiral and purple emperor butterflies and the hazel dormouse, which is in decline as a result of shrinking woodland habitat. Hertfordshire has lost 44 per cent of its ancient semi-natural woodland in the past 50 years.'