Written by Abby Simpson-Tunnard, Trainee
From restoring ponds to delivering educational and creative sessions in classrooms, the first 12 months of Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridor: Boston and Beyond has laid strong foundations for a more connected and biodiverse landscape in and around Boston. One year in, it’s the perfect time to celebrate what’s been achieved and share the next steps in the Boston and Beyond project.
Habitat work in Boston
The Boston and Beyond project began by building relationships with local community groups, schools, and residents to identify where habitat interventions would have the greatest impact. Establishing these partnerships ensured that habitat creation was informed by local knowledge and shaped through community involvement.
Habitat works are a key element of this project, helping to piece-by-piece develop a functional wildlife corridor throughout Boston. Habitats created include new ponds, pond restorations in addition to hibernacula, log piles, and rockeries. Creating these habitats early in the project timeline provided the longest possible period to monitor how habitats develop and evaluate how effectively these new or restored spaces support biodiversity.
Since the project has begun, 42 habitat interventions have taken shape across Boston, each one contributing to the developing wildlife corridor. A particular success story has emerged from the two restored ponds at Jennys Wood, which were restored in autumn of 2025. By spring, one pond found itself home to frogspawn and tadpoles, while juvenile smooth newts were found in the other during the Froglife Festival pond dipping event in June.
Working with the people of Boston.
The involvement of the Boston community is a core aim of the Boston and Beyond project. Community events, such as the Celebrate Boston event at Boston Stump can illustrate how beneficial the participation of local people is to the project. Community involvement has been central to the success of Boston and Beyond, with the participation of community groups, schools, and volunteers helping the development a lasting commitment to the stewardship for nature.
Working alongside these established community groups has highlighted the value of meaningful connections, with many participants returning to share stories of species sightings or the creation of wildlife-friendly features, such as mini ponds, in their own gardens. These experiences demonstrate the lasting impact that education and outreach can have in encouraging positive action for wildlife.
What’s next for the Boston and Beyond project?
The halfway mark of the project may have passed, but there are still lots of exiting things to come. Returning to habitats for surveying will help to quantify the impact that habitat works have on their surroundings. In addition, maintenance helps to ensure habitats remain in good condition for amphibians and reptiles during the times of year they are least likely to be disturbed.
Training sessions are one way of ensuring our habitats futures by equipping participants with the skills needed to act as stewards of the habitats created across Boston. Further creative workshops are also planned to create two speaking statues that will be installed at public habitat sites. These statues will celebrate the people and wildlife in Boston and be a lasting legacy.