Wilder St Albans is asking residents to nominate potential sites which could be left to grow in spring and summer to allow wildflowers, bugs and invertebrates to thrive. Suggestions can include ‘greens’ in cul-de-sacs, footpaths, verges and areas in our local green spaces. Nominations can be made on the Wilder St Albans webpage and then reviewed on an individual basis by wildlife experts and discussed with the relevant landowner.
Through Wilder St Albans, a project led by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, St Albans City and District Council are inviting residents to nominate a local patch to be Wilder in 2022.
St Albans © Frieda Rummenhohl
St Albans City and District Council is actively looking to make more space for wildlife wherever safe and practical to do so. While some sites, particularly those at road junctions or in use for access or recreation, may need to be cut, many can be left to grow in spring and summer and managed for the benefit of wildlife.
Heidi Carruthers, People and Wildlife Officer for Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust said:
“Our local wildlife needs more space to thrive. Many of our smaller green patches could be home to a rich diversity of wildflowers, providing vital food for insects and birds and creating a network of habitat from the smallest to the largest of our wildlife. Every patch makes a difference.”
Our local wildlife needs more space to thrive
Councillor Chris White, Chair of the Policy Committee of St Albans City and District Council, said:
“Our top priority is to tackle the climate emergency and to improve the District’s environment as we do so. The Wilder St Albans project is one of more than 100 actions we are undertaking to achieve that goal. It is an ambitious and imaginative initiative that will create better conditions for our wildlife to thrive. I’m sure our residents will support this project and nominate suitable spaces within their neighbourhood for wilding.”
The Wildlife Trusts are campaigning for 30% of the land and seas in the UK to be protected and managed for nature by 2030. The Hertforshire State of Nature report, published in 2020 by The Trust, found that towns and urban areas make up 17% of Hertfordshire’s land area, more than double the national average. Urban spaces can fragment wildlife habitats and isolate species so we need to create more wildlife habitat around the District for wildlife to move between.