Encouraging Wildlife - Tourism North East

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Encouraging Wildlife & Nature Based Tourism

In this topic:

How to encourage wildlife
Easy ways to encourage wildlife:
- Steps everyone can take (even if you have no outside space)
- Steps for small outside spaces
- Bigger garden ideas
Further websites and resources

Why encourage wildlife?

There are two excellent reasons to take an interest in wildlife:

Encouraging more birds, mammals and insects helps green spaces to thrive
Nature based tourism is one of the growing sectors of tourism - the regional tourism organisation, One North East Tourism, currently has an active program of developing products that meet this demand

Taking an interest in wildlife, encouraging others to do the same and advertising the wildlife opportunities you offer is good for the environment and good for business.

How to encourage wildlife

There are four elements to encouraging wildlife:

Work with nature, not against it
Look at what wants to grow and live in your space, then help it thrive. Avoid pesticides, chemicals and sprays.
Create habitat
Create places wildlife want to be - shrubs, piles of leaves, dead wood, wet areas and ponds, undisturbed 'wild' areas etc.
Plant species that attract wildlife
Focus on native species and ones that thrive in your area. Use this postcode plant finder to find out what grows well near you that wildlife loves: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants/.
Do feed the animals
Put out food for birds, hedgehogs, squirrels, foxes and others - but once you start don't stop. Also plant flora that provide seeds, nuts and berries to create natural food.

Easy ways to encourage and promote wildlife

There are lots of ways to encourage wildlife and to get staff, customers and visitors interested.

Steps for everyone (including those with no outside space at all)

Whatever the size of your outdoor space you can encourage wildlife and visitor interest. Even if you have no garden or outside areas you can still:

Have window boxes with plants that attract bees and butterflies (see links below)
Have nesting boxes for birds or small mammals
Fix bird-feeders to your walls or window ledges
Have display boards or cases that promote local wildlife and species
Promote local areas of natural beauty, conservation sites and wildlife sites through displays, literature and your website
Promote local nature-based businesses that offer wildlife or natural habitat experiences (see www.visitnortheastengland.co.uk to find these)
Use technology to connect to local wildlife-watching sites eg local webcams or closed circuit TV of badgers, foxes, birds etc
Promote wildlife events - check your local authority, press, areas of outstanding national beauty, national parks and local wildlife group websites

Small outside spaces including car parks

If you have even a small amount of external space there is a lot more you can do:

Have wildlife friendly parking and parking surfaces
Don't pave or concrete, use gravel and parking matrix (recycled plastic interlocking hexagonal shapes that can be filled with gravel or 'grassed over'). Plant the edges and 'dead' spaces with beds, climbers, shrubs and tubs. See here for more http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/parking.asp.
Use the vertical space!
Fix trellises or use wires to grow climbing plants like ivy, virginia creeper, honeysuckle and even hops or espaliered trees. These create habitats for animals and insects and food like berries and seeds.
Use trees!
You can grow climbers up trees to increase the habitat and fix bird and squirrel boxes in trees. Planting trees that fruit or give berries provides food for wildlife.
Plant colourful, flowering and scented plants and shrubs
Shrubs like buddleia, broom and heather attract butterflies; lavender, honeysuckle, foxglove and columbine attract bees; birds love plants that go to seed, like sunflowers, or that provide berries, like holly.
Create habitats
Even the smallest space can be used to create habitats: piles of leaves under bushes and shrubs, piles of deadwood, undisturbed areas, a small pond or bog - even a hedgehog shelter made from a sturdy crate covered in stones and leaves. Or fix wooden boxes to trees or walls to make small mammal homes.
Put out feeders and water
You can put out food (and water) for birds, squirrels, foxes, and even deer if you live in a rural area. However, once you start don't stop. Animals come to rely on the food you provide, failing to put it out can seriously affect their survival. Be careful not to put out too much - it's a supplement rather than full provision, and leftover food can attract unwanted vermin.
Make compost
Compost piles can create wonderful habitats for hedgehogs, slow worms and even grass snakes, but be careful to turn the compost over carefully.

Bigger garden ideas

If you have a bigger garden, there is even more you can do:

Include plants that attract bees, butterflies and insects in your planting scheme
Plant a wildflower garden or leave an area for grassland
Put in shrubs and hedging to create habitats for small mammals and butterflies
Plant trees - especially native species - and create mini-woodlands
Create ponds and bogs
Create rockeries and other rocky, gravel and 'hard' environments
Leave an area completely undisturbed
Put up bird and small mammal nesting points
Install CCTV or webcams at feeding or nesting points and relay the pictures to guests via TV or your website

Excellent further resources

Try these sources for further information and practical guides.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants/
This amazing resource allows you to enter your postcode and find out what plants grow nearby.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_bees1.shtml
Find out how to attract bees to your garden.

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/foodplants.php
Excellent page showing plants that appeal to butterflies, and the type of butterfly each plant attracts.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/
Not just for birds! Excellent advice for even the tiniest spaces:

Wildlife gardening
Attracting and helping birds
Creating homes for bats and hedgehogs
Wildlife friendly parking
Creating dead wood places
Creating ponds
Creating grassland areas

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Learning/research/conservation_and_environment.asp
Excellent resources from the Royal Horticultural Society on all types of wildlife and conservation gardening including printable leaflets.

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/
Excellent site detailing UK wildlife and linking to the 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK.

www.naturalengland.org.uk
Non-departmental government body site. Find habitats and areas of special scientific interest, plus events and contacts for your area.

http://northeastwildlife.co.uk/
Fantastic local wildlife images by local photographer - free to download and use to make displays, handouts brochures etc.

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Quick Links

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