Harleston
The Town Council took a bold step in setting an aspiration to define the entire parish as a nature recovery area in our Neighbourhood Plan. The Town Council then took an even bolder step, to deliver the aspiration. They set up a Working Party to design and establish a framework. At inception nature recovery was very much a fuzzy concept rather than something with clearly defined parameters. The current model evolved over time.
'Nature Recovery in Harleston' is a community driven and non-bureaucratic initiative, where everyone has a role to play. The concept proved so popular that it has since become the model for other towns and parishes.
Swift Action
Conservation groups across the country and overseas have been established by groups of volunteers who are trying to provide the habitat for these wonderful migratory birds to breed.
Harleston is a swift friendly town and Harleston's Future set up Swift Action who have built and installed nest boxes on buildings throughout the town, even providing special speakers which broadcast swift calls to attract passing birds.
Children Plant Seeds
Pupils at Harleston Sancroft Academy Primary Phase have sown wildflower seed in their own Nature Recovery experiment. An area of the school field had the grass scalped bare and the soil scarified before the seed was sown.
The seed, which was donated to the school by Natural England’s Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve in Yorkshire, was mixed with sand before the pupils spread it across the site.
Gardens for Wildlife
The garden area in England is more than four and a half times larger than that of our National Nature Reserves: http://www.wlgf.org/garden_resource.html
This is a colossal resource of national significance for the thousands of generalist species that can live in our gardens.
Many people are already contributing towards local nature recovery. Be it creating ponds, nest boxes or bug houses to provide homes; planting fruit trees and berry shrubs which are adored by birds; pollinator plants for bees; or lavender and buddleia for butterflies. Some people have planted wildflower seeds or otherwise created wildlife friendly environments. Others have just allowed an area of their garden to re-wild.
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