What are Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridors (NWCs) and why are they important?
As part of the Discovering Dewponds project, Froglife is increasing habitat suitability and connectivity for wildlife in Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Coldean and Hollingbury & Hollingdean in Brighton, contributing to the creation of three Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridors (displayed on the interactive NWC Map below). Froglife is doing this by undertaking and encouraging wildlife interventions here, building and restoring key habitats for reptiles and amphibians such as wildlife ponds, hibernacula, wildflower meadows and bug hotels. Creating and enhancing an interlinked network of habitats will make it easier for species to move across the landscape in search of food, shelter and breeding sites and to colonise the area from the nearby South Downs National Park, enriching the biodiversity of our urban environment.
Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridor (NWC) Map:
This shows both existing wildlife habitats and those created as part of the Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridor project. Contribute your data to the map and help to increase our understanding of habitat connectivity in the area through the NWC survey form below!
What have we done so far?
We’ve helped to create some fancy Toad Abodes and beautiful Bug Hotels through our Wildlife Gardening Workshops, provided advice on wildlife-friendly gardening to community members through our information stands in the corridors and got stuck into pond and hibernacula restoration and creation with the help of volunteers. It has been brilliant so far seeing the enthusiasm for enriching the area’s greenspaces for wildlife and we are really looking forward to continuing this programme across the duration of the Discovering Dewponds project.
How do I get involved?
There are many ways that you can get involved if you live in or around Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Coldean or Hollingbury & Hollingdean in Brighton:
- Report existing wildlife habitats in the area that you’re aware of through our quick and simple NWC survey form below, helping us to compile the NWC Map. These could be as small as a bug hotel, or as large as a dewpond – we’d love to hear about it!
- Become a Garden Guardian and create your own habitats for wildlife, such as a pond, hibernaculum or wildflower meadow, directly contributing the creation of the wildlife corridors! See here for our worksheet that outlines four simple, wildlife-friendly interventions. Then, please register your creations by filling in our NWC survey form below or emailing us and we’ll add them to the NWC Map!
- Further to the above, if you know of or are involved in a greenspace that could be made more wildlife-friendly in one of the Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridors, we’d love to hear from you and help to create or restore a wildlife pond or habitat here.
- Volunteer with us! Join our volunteer mailing list by emailing us and referencing your interest to become a Discovering Dewponds volunteer.
- Finally, if you’d like to host a Wildlife Gardening Workshop or Talk, or know of a community group or location that might be able to do so, we’d love for you to get in touch.
Please contact william.johanson@froglife.org to get involved and for any further information.