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Britain’s road verges and public urban green spaces cover an area the size of Wiltshire, larger than Gwynedd and more than half the size of Dumfries and Galloway [1,2]. If managed with sympathy for grassland wildlife, they can be the vital habitat network that nature’s recovery needs.
Our road verges and green spaces have the potential to act as a sanctuary for wildflowers and a network of connective corridors across Great Britain’s 400,000 km of public road verges and almost 85,000 hectares of public green spaces [2].
By unlocking their potential, road verges and green spaces have an important part to play in nature’s recovery, whilst delivering benefits for climate, people and reducing asset management costs.
We want to empower and support communities, local authorities, and national agencies in seeing and seizing new opportunities and overcoming any barriers to achieving cost and carbon reduction, while bringing wildflowers back.
Continue reading for more information, resources and case studies – to inspire the systemic change to verge and green space management our wildlife desperately needs.
Over 700 species of wildflowers grow on verges, accounting for nearly 45% of the UK’s total plant diversity, including 87 species threatened with extinction. Species-rich grasslands are vital habitats, however, they are under threat and increasingly fragmented. Approximately, 97% of wildflower-rich grassland has likely been lost across England and Wales since the 1930’s [3,4] and extensive losses have occurred across Scotland, [4] making grasslands amongst the most threatened habitats in Britain [5].
With the right roadside management, we can significantly enhance the ecological value of grassland over an area equal to Britain’s existing priority grasslands [7]. This will be an essential element in the delivery of the nature networks across the UK.
More and better-connected grassland green spaces, richer in biodiversity, will create functional wildlife corridors, support pollinators, and provide health and wellbeing benefits for local communities.
Changing the cutting regime of road verges can reduce the costs of managing them. For example, Dorset Council has reduced their verge mowing budget by 45% over 7 years by collecting cuttings which reduces fertility and regrowth overtime. [7]
Managing verges and green spaces as wildflower-rich grassland is a nature-based solution to climate change. Studies suggest that by increasing plant diversity, carbon stored in grassland soil can be increased by as much as 10% in verges currently mown frequently [8].
Having a closer connection with nature has been shown to bring real improvements to our physical and mental health [9,10,11,12]. For many of us, a flash of colour on a road verge as we commute into work may be our only view of wildlife that day. If we’re lucky, a walk along a local park lane might allow us to see our first springtime Cowslips (Primula veris), or the sight of a favourite clump of orchids or butterflies feeding from knapweed. These connections with nature are important and significantly boost our wellbeing.
Air Quality and Flood Prevention:
We can also create a cleaner environment to live in. Nature-friendly management of road verges and green spaces can:
Download Plantlife’s road verge and green space posters and signs to help communicate the change for nature being made in your community.
With space to add logos, you can celebrate everyone who is helping to manage the site for nature.
Poster
Portrait
A1 Portrait Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A2 Portrait Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A3 Portrait Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A4 Portrait Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
Landscape
A1 Landscape Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A2 Landscape Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A3 Landscape Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A4 Landscape Poster – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
Sign
A1 Portrait Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A2 Portrait Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A3 Portrait Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A4 Portrait Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A1 Landscape Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A2 Landscape Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A3 Landscape Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
A4 Landscape Sign – Letting Our Wildflowers Grow For Nature – Road Verge and Green Space
Poster – Cymraeg
A1 Portrait Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A2 Portrait Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A3 Portrait Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A4 Portrait Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A1 Landscape Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A2 Landscape Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur- Road Verges and Green Spaces
A3 Landscape Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur- Road Verges and Green Spaces
A4 Landscape Poster – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
Sign – Cymraeg
A1 Portrait Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A2 Portrait Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A3 Portrait Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A4 Portrait Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur- Road Verges and Green Spaces
A1 Landscape Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A2 Landscape Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A3 Landscape Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
A4 Landscape Sign – Welsh – Gadael i’n blodau gwyllt dyfu ar gyfer byd natur – Road Verges and Green Spaces
Are you a road verge or a green space manager for a local council?
It’s time to sign up for No Mow May 2024! By letting us know you’re taking part you’ll receive advice and guidance from our expert team.
Plantlife’s road verge and green space work has been generously supported by The Garfield Weston Foundation and MW Tops Wildlife Conservation Project
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