Event celebrates success of Shropshire’s Your Heritage project
Community wildlife groups across Shropshire will be coming together on Wednesday (28 November 2012) to celebrate the achievements of a two-year project to preserve and enhance the county’s natural habitats.
The ‘Your Natural Heritage’ autumn convention, held at The Academy in Shrewsbury, will present the work of the Your Heritage project funded by LEADER, an EU programme to regenerate rural areas.
The aim of the project is to increase knowledge of Shropshire’s natural environment, by encouraging communities to survey their local area.
Over the last two years, Shropshire Council’s natural environment team have been providing community groups with training and support, enabling them to undertake habitat surveys and discover the biodiversity on their doorstep.
Over 40 wildlife events have taken place through the project in 2012, surveying everything from reptiles and dragonflies to harvest mice and wetland plants. The community wildlife groups also continued their local wildlife habitat surveys, with several parishes in north Shropshire nearly mapped.
Shropshire’s community wildlife groups have made fantastic progress, surveying 89km2 of countryside, an area over 10,000 times the size of Shrewsbury Town FC’s pitch.
There have been exciting discoveries, such as spotting the rare Small Pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly near Ellesmere for the first time in over 20 years. All groups have spotted plants or animals that were not known to live in their area, including locally and nationally scarce species. This information will help to inform conservation efforts in years to come.
The project has also helped communities to fund projects to restore or create local wildlife areas. Some of the transformations have been quite remarkable, creating something for both wildlife and residents to enjoy.
Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for rural affairs, said;
“Volunteer nature enthusiasts are vital to conserving Shropshire’s wildlife. Over the past two years, thanks to funding by LEADER, Shropshire Council’s ‘Your Natural Heritage’ project has been helping residents to discover and conserve their local wildlife. The project has provided free training, equipment and support, enabling communities to make a real contribution to nature conservation.
“What is unique about this project is that participating community groups can propose areas where improvements to the natural environment could be made, and the project will help get the work started with supporting funds, advice and training if necessary. The result will be new wildlife havens, created by the local groups and enjoyed by the whole community. Habitat improvement work has already been completed at seven local sites across north Shropshire.”
The free event starts at 7pm, and is open to anyone interested in nature. As well as celebrating the discoveries of the community wildlife groups, the event will also include short wildlife talks by local experts and displays from wildlife organisations.
If you would like to join attend the convention or find out about community wildlife groups in your area, please contact the community biodiversity project officer on 01743 252543 or email natural.environment@shropshire.gov.uk.
You can also view a video about the project by clicking here
Shropshire Council had successfully obtained funding from LEADER back in 2011 to deliver the project, whose aim is to engage and empower local communities, to discover and conserve their natural heritage.
During summer 2011, community groups from across north Shropshire were out surveying their local biodiversity. The groups collected valuable information about local habitats and had some great days out, spotting fascinating species along the way. This vital information will help safeguard local wildlife and help to create a lasting environmental legacy for Shropshire.
