Common Connections
Common Connections is a 4 year project to restore, improve and connect green spaces along the border of South Gloucestershire and East Bristol to benefit both nature and people.
About the project
We are working with local communities, volunteers, businesses and schools to restore and join up local green spaces, rivers and ponds across 87 sites covering 375 hectares.
These spaces are valuable habitats for nature, but over time many of the routes that allowed wildlife to move freely between them have been lost to development. It means these habitats have become increasingly fragmented.
This is bad for wildlife populations in a number of ways:
- the area they live is smaller and cut off from other colonies, leading to inbreeding and a loss of genetic diversity
- animals have less space to find everything they need to survive
Restoring and reconnecting these spaces will help the species that depend on them to thrive.
This project supports the national 25 Year Environment Plan and regional West of England Partnership Strategy to create a Nature Recovery Network across the country.
What it means
The project aims to reverse biodiversity decline by improving, expanding and connecting important habitats.
Habitat improvements include:
- reintroducing grazing animals to conserve and improve woodland pasture
- wildflower seeding and plug and bulb planting to create pollinator-friendly and flower rich meadows
- increasing the amount of grass we manage for nature
- planting over 6,500 native trees
- creating 14 new community orchards
- restoring and planting hedges
- improving existing ponds and creating new ones
- setting up hundreds of nesting boxes and shelters for owls, birds, bats and hedgehogs
Where we are working
We are concentrating our efforts on the historic registered commons and nearby land that can help better connect these culturally and ecologically significant sites in:
- Bridgeyate
- Wick
- Lyde Green
- Mangotsfield
- Siston
- Webbs Heath
Who we are working with
Common Connections is a partnership project between South Gloucestershire Council and the West of England Combined Authority.
Other organisations involved in the project include Avon Wildlife Trust, The Conservation Volunteers, Buglife, West of England Nature Partnership, town and parish councils and friends groups.
This project is a key action in our Green Infrastructure Strategy, the West of England Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan and Joint Green Infrastructure Strategy.
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To find out more email commonconnections@southglos.gov.uk.