This Moor Meadows talk was recorded in April 2021.
Life on the Verge: how to create and manage wildlife-friendly verges
View here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b4D5aTxnkU
Our roadside verges are some of the treasures of Devon. They can be a riot of colour, spilling over with flowers and rich with wildlife. There is immense potential for managing them for nature and for people. Discover the exciting possibilities in this talk.
Top speakers on this talk:
National and county road verge specialists, Dr Kate Petty, Plantlife’s Road Verge Campaign Manager, and Leo Gubert, senior ecologist at Highways England South West.
Find out how they are restoring verges to flower-rich meadows and creating wildlife corridors, illustrated with some of the best examples from across the country. And they talk about how they are inspiring both parish councils and community groups to get involved in restoring this nationally important habitat.
Since 2015, every Parish Council in Devon has the opportunity to take on the responsibility for managing its road verges from Devon County Council. Due to budget cuts, DCC stopped managing roadside verges where speed limits are 40mph and below, except for areas where visibility is compromised. Some Parish Councils have accepted responsibility for managing their own verges but the majority have not. If wildlife is to thrive again, we need to create and restore a network of biodiverse habitats across the country, including restoring and creating wildflower meadows on roadside verges.
The talk was followed by a Question & Answer session.
Imagine if all the key verges in every parish everywhere were managed for their wild plants and wildlife, what a difference that would make for wildlife and people.
View the talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b4D5aTxnkU