Local Wildlife Corridors
Did you know that hedgehogs need to walk a mile or more in a night looking for food and a mate? – RSPB
The idea of wildlife corridors
This project, inspired by Felixtowe’s Community Nature Reserve, aims to provide routes (“corridors”) by which animals both large and small can move around without hinderance or danger. Built up areas can be difficult to navigate, but by joining together to create biodiversity-friendly spaces close together (such as in groups of gardens), we allow animals to move more freely. This is hugely important for many animals, insects, bats and birds to be able to move from one habitat to another.
About this project
The original aim of this project was two-fold. On the one hand we wanted to create a patchwork of spaces in people’s gardens that are dedicated to, and focus on encouraging, nurturing and protecting biodiversity, that together form the “Community Nature Reserve”.
On the other hand we were trying to find out where we already have wildlife corridors, which would help us to study and improve biodiversity in our beautiful part of the world. For example, if we found that several gardens close together have ponds, we could look at how animals move between ponds, what barriers they face, and how we can make improvements to give nature an even better home. We offered a monthly e-newsletter to offer guidance and advice around things people can do to increase the number of animals, birds, insects and bats in their garden.
Hedgerows, field margins, wetlands and woodland are all ‘wildlife corridors’ and act as a link from one environment to another. They connect individual – and sometimes isolated – habitats, allowing wildlife to move freely and safely between them, without threat from predators or traffic. – National Trust
We encouraged gardeners and allotment owners to allocate three square yards (2.5 square meters) as a guideline to the project for starters. We set up two citizen science groups: one studying fruit trees and the other birds in the gardens in the scheme and published the results in April 2022 (see our presentation). In October 2022 we had a slideshow of steps taken by our gardeners to deal with the effects of the drought that year (see our presentation) and in October 2023 ideas that people might take away and copy in their gardens (see our presentation). We also started our Bat Project.
Open Wild Gardens
In May 2023, Transition Woodbridge invited people living in Woodbridge, Melton and nearby villages who were leaving part of their gardens to grow wild to open them to the public. Having over 100 gardens signed up to the Wildlife Corridors project, this was an opportunity to view some of these green spaces to delight and encourage everyone to join in. It was emphasized that no space was too small to leave wild for nature. A pot of bee-friendly or wildflowers on a windowsill, a simple pile of leaves or branches in a corner over winter, ponds, bug hotels, nest boxes, bird feeders, hedgehog homes and passageways through fences for the movement and protection of wildlife was enough to make a difference. ‘No Mow May’ could get the party started!
Following the success of the previous year, May 2024 found us once again opening gardens to the public to get ideas for their wildlife spaces and to relax and enjoy a chat and cuppa with some of the owners.
We had noted the importance of ponds in the protection of wildlife in an ecosystem of their own as well as the wildlife corridors created around Woodbridge/Melton. We set about creating information boards and going on a roadshow to promote them. In June 2025 we invited people to an open gardens event focusing on ponds – from a washing-up bowl to a mature larger pond – to inspire people to create or restore the ponds in their own gardens. We collaborated with Suffolk Wildlife Trust who joined in with Woodbridge School’s pond.
How you can help
Amongst the steps you can take to help create wildlife corridors in our area are:
- Create/restore a pond (can be a washing-up bowl size)
- Create holes in your fences with your neighbours for hedgehog highways
- Leave piles of leaves or branches over the winter
- Plant insect friendly trees, shrubs and flowers
- Encourage wildlife into your gardens with bird feeders, bug hotels
- Leave deadwood piles/create dead hedges
- Join in National surveys such as the Big Garden Birdwatch (RSPB), Sunset Survey (Bat Conservation Trust), No Mow May (Plantlife)
- Keep your own journal of sightings