Communities encouraged to go wild about their woodlands

Communities in Plymouth will be able to play a major part in protecting their local woodlands thanks to a new project which aims to inspire and reconnect people with wildlife.

Plymouth University has secured £55,900 of Heritage Lottery funding to run the ’Plymouth Woodland Project’, which will work to engage schools, youth groups, community groups and the general public with their local woodlands.

A series of fun 'citizen science' activities will be held to allow people to explore their local woods and see first-hand the vast biodiversity on their doorstep and the conservation issues affecting it. Groups involved will also play a key part in collecting new data to help scientists understand how areas should be managed and protected for the future.

The project will be led by the School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences at the University, working closely with Plymouth City Council, The Woodland Trust, The National Trust, local schools and community groups.

It will run for two years from September 2013 in woodlands across Plymouth, but particularly with communities and schools around Whitleigh Woods, Ham Woods, Radford Woods, Plymbridge Woods and Hardwick Woods.

Alison Smith, Community Scientist with Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) based at the University, said:

“Twenty per cent of Plymouth is covered with woodland, and some of these woods are many hundreds of years old. They are a rich resource for wildlife and for people. However, many people do not know they are there, and our knowledge of their biodiversity and ecology is limited. With new threats to woodland wildlife from climate change and tree diseases, it is important that we understand more about Plymouth’s woods so we can conserve them for future generations to enjoy."

Resources to carry out surveys and woodland activities will be available to the whole community, and there will also be an online recording website so people can send in their wildlife sightings and survey records.

Local conservation group The Friends of Ham Woods are already working with OPAL on a separate project, and are looking forward to getting involved. John Randall from the group explains:

"The Plymouth Woodland Project will give us a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the biodiversity of Ham Woods nature reserve as well as new wildlife identification skills and surveying techniques. The opportunity of networking with other organisations and groups will greatly enhance our knowledge base."

The project will also work with Transferrable Skills Training to provide accredited vocational courses for young people and adults to learn practical forestry and conservation skills.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet member for the Environment at Plymouth City Council, added: "What an amazing idea to have citizen scientists out and about in our woodlands, learning, sharing knowledge and tapping the expertise of staff at the University as well as the enthusiasm of our schools and communities.

"We sometimes forget that 20 per cent of this city is covered by trees - this project not only makes the most of this wonderful woodland but people who get involved will also pick up valuable scientific and data collecting skills that could stand them in good stead for the future. It is also a chance for people to enjoy the great outdoors on their doorstep."

Anyone interested in getting involved in the Plymouth Woodland Project should contact the project leader Dr Maria Donkin at M.Donkin@plymouth.ac.uk