News
Rescuing Rocks & Overgrown Relics
This snappy title is a soon to start nature recovery project at four Shropshire Council countryside sites in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape.
The countryside sites are historic former mining or quarrying sites and include Poles Coppice at Pontesbury, Snailbeach and the Bog. These once industrial sites have become valuable spaces for nature as well as people.
The project focus is habitat restoration. The work will involve scrub management and coppicing to expose more of the rocky/scree habitat favoured by some of our rarer plants and animals such as slowworm, grayling butterfly and Birds foot trefoil (foodplant of common blue butterfly).
The work to restore this important habitat is being delivered by volunteer groups, led by Shropshire Council’s Outdoor Partnership Team and the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Team. Volunteers include the Shropshire Hills Young Rangers and Shropshire Council Wild Team which supports those recovering from mental ill health.
Funding for the project is from Defra, through the Shropshire Hills National Landscape, to deliver the UK Government’s commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, known as 30by30. Rescuing Rocks & Overgrown Relics is one of a number of 30by30 projects being supported in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape this winter. Others include habitat restoration on Norbury Hill and floodplain meadow restoration at Walcot.
For more information about the Rescuing Rocks & Overgrown Relics project please contact our Engagement Ranger, Joe Penfold - email joe.penfold@shropshire.gov.uk.
For information on 30by30 visit the Gov.UK website at 30by30 on land in England.
Published by Shropshire Hills National Landscape on