Photo by Scottmliddell. Click to enlarge... Used under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license.
Amazing wildlife is closer than you think…
Did you know that in the North East of England our urban areas provide a haven for many species of wild mammals – badger, fox, otter, hedgehog, water vole and red squirrel to name but a few?
- Water vole numbers have fallen by 94% across the North East, but urban streams provide a refuge
- Hedgehog numbers are falling by 20% every five years, making our gardens more important than ever as hedgehog habitat
- Red squirrels have been lost from many areas of our countryside, but populations remain just a few miles from city areas
- Badgers still face persecution and need our protection
- Thanks to successful habitat management otters are returning to our urban rivers and streams
The ‘WildPlaces’ initiative by Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts, aims to make our urban areas more important for wildlife than ever before by connecting them to the surrounding countryside.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia. Click to enlarge... Used under GNU Free Documentation License.
Activities include;
- Collecting your wildlife sightings to identify wildlife networks in our towns and cities
- Creating and strengthening urban green corridors by delivering wildlife projects that improve our towns for people and wildlife
- Getting you involved, so that our wildlife is valued and protected for the future and better able to withstand and adapt to a changing climate
The WildPlaces project aims to connect the people of the North East to the wildlife around them. So what can you do to help?
- Get involved in practical conservation work in and around your neighbourhood
- Get involved in managing the camera systems we use to capture images of the wildlife on our doorstep
- Join our WildPlaces Facebook group for regular updates on progress
- Join your local North East Wildlife Trust and learn more about the wildlife around you – It’s great fun
Photo by BadgerHero. Click to enlarge... Used under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license.
Much of the work involves delivering environmental education to children in and outside of school. We believe passionately that giving children knowledge about the natural world and getting them involved leads them to take more responsibility for the world around them.
euVue North East Nature Watch will be playing its part in this hugely important project by supporting the folks on the ground and providing a focal point for people and communities to learn more about and improve the natural environment.
We will report on the latest news and developments of the Wild Places project and provide up-to-the-minute video coverage of wildlife sightings around the region.
To get involved simply follow this link to the official site and join in today.
You can also find out more at your local Wildlife Trust:
Durham Wildlife Trust – contact David Pearce 0191 5843112 or email dpearce@durhamwt.co.uk
Northumberland Wildlife Trust – contact Kara Jackson 0191 2846884 or email kara.jackson@northwt.org.uk
Tees Valley Wildlife Trust – contact Kenny Crooks 01287 636382 or email kcrooks@teeswildlife.org
If you have urban wildlife news, titbits of information, photos or video then feel free to pass it on to us here at euVue editor@euvue.co.uk and we’ll make sure it reaches the right people.
Video Clips…
Check out these latest WildPlaces videos.
Badger cub with its mother
Fox cubs playing
