Many wild animals and birds are struggling to survive and thrive, but particularly in urban or semi-urban areas where it can be hard for them to safely move around. There are lots of ways you can help them by working with your neighbours to create links between gardens in your road, and also links between your garden to local green spaces, rivers, streams and woodland…

In residential roads, we like to make sure we have nice sturdy fences between properties, but impenetrable fencing can be very detrimental for ground-based wildlife, like Hedgehogs, frogs and other small animals that need to travel distances to find mates, safe nesting and breeding spots.

You can create wildlife and nature corridors by working with your neighbours:  

• Choose a hedge over a fence – hedges / hedgerows support lots of wildlife – birds, invertebrates, hedgehogs and other small animals. A fence is basically just a barrier to wildlife and supports nothing.
• If you have fences, create some gaps or holes every few metres. Hedgehogs are in serious decline and you can help by enabling them to pass through gardens and into green space.
• Dig a ditch along your boundary or create a pond area (that’s also easily accessible to /from other gardens) – great for frogs, toads and other wetland loving animals
• Plant some tall grasses and shrubs by fences (great for frog safety!)
• Allow some areas of your garden (near boundaries) to be a bit wild – including plants, shrubs and leaf piles, log piles and rockeries.
• Create a wildflower or wild grass area
• Create wildlife islands in your gardens – small animals don’t like too much open space (it’s dangerous out there in the open!) and see it as a barrier, so give them some safe refuge islands, such as flower beds and grassy areas in the middle of lawn or paved areas.

All these things help to encourage biodiversity and enable wild animals to thrive in urban and semi-urban settings. You’ll benefit too from all the wonderful bird and wildlife you’ll start seeing in your garden.

So get on your road’s WhatsApp group or chat to your neighbours and see how you could help your immediate area to increase its biodiversity and help local wildlife to thrive…