A Geopark-supported project in the heart of Charnwood Forest has shown how collaboration can create a big impact in landscape-scale conservation.
The Ulverscoft Corridor Club was founded to bring together landowners in and around the Ulverscroft Valley, helping to coordinate wildlife conservation efforts in the area. This coordinated approach is especially important as much of the valley is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), owing to rich flora and fauna that can be found there.
Described by Natural England as one of the best wildlife sites in Leicestershire, the valley includes more than 200 plant species across grassland, heath, woodland, and wetland.
The funding for the Corridor Club, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership Scheme, has supported wildlife surveys, conservation interventions, and events to grow the Club.
The work to monitor wildlife in the Valley has greatly benefited from the support of local groups such as Loughborough Naturalists and the Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society.
Numerous practical management tasks have taken place, including green hay spreading (donated by Poultney Farm and spread at Sandhills Lodge and Benscliffe House), which has developed very successfully and increased the species diversity of the recipient fields. New ponds have been created, hedgerows planted, woodland and parkland trees established, holly thinned, and laurel cleared. The Newtown Linford Conservation Volunteers have been involved removing Himalayan balsam growing along the River Lin.
All data gathered on which species have been recorded have been added to a dedicated page on NatureSpot, creating a last legacy to this exciting project that will help inform future efforts in the Valley. The Geopark is grateful to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust for coordinating this project.