Horizons Regional Council’s Post

This week, we have been celebrating National Hedgerow Week, organised by the Tree Council. 🌳 The unsung heroes of our landscapes, here are just some of the benefits planting hedgerows can provide: - Hedgerows provide essential habitats for wildlife, including birds, insects, and small mammals, supporting biodiversity in urban and rural areas alike.🐛🐦 - They act as natural windbreaks, helping to reduce wind erosion and create microclimates, this can be particularly beneficial in Scotland's varied landscape.🌳 - Hedgerows also serve as corridors for wildlife, allowing species to move safely between fragmented habitats, aiding in conservation efforts and maintaining genetic diversity.🦔 At Elsoms Trees, we're passionate about supporting initiatives like National Hedgerow Week. That's why we offer a variety of hedgerow mixes tailored to suit any location. We work with you to ensure your project receives the correct mix of species. Some of our favorite species for hedges include Blackthorn, Rose, Green Beech, and Hornbeam. Burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia) is an excellent choice for hedging due to its dense growth habit, prickly stems, and fragrant flowers, making it an effective barrier plant that also adds beauty to the landscape. Its resilience in various soil types and ability to tolerate coastal conditions make it a great choice for many locations. Let's celebrate the invaluable role of hedgerows in our environment! 🌿 #NationalHedgerowWeek #TreeCouncil #ElsomsTrees

If you haven’t visited Waterhall yet, it’s time to get acquainted with one of the most exciting #rewilding 🌱 projects in the #biosphere 🌎 Once a golf course, Waterhall is being transformed into a thriving ecosystem, thanks to a collaborative effort between Brighton & Hove City Council, #ChangingChalk, National Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, and The National Lottery and volunteer groups like #WildflowerGuardians This project is more than just an environmental initiative—it's about restoring our unique and rare habitat. #Chalk #grassland, like that at Waterhall, is among the rarest ecosystems in the world, supporting a variety of unique flora and fauna. The rewilding efforts here are bringing back species that haven't been seen in years! While ensuring this landscape thrives for future generations. Today, #Waterhall is a hub of activity for nature lovers. Butterfly surveys 🦋 nature walks 🌳, and traditional grazing 🐑 practices are all part of the ongoing work to restore this special place. If you haven’t yet visited Waterhall, or if you want to get involved, now is the perfect time to explore this remarkable transformation. Together with our partners, we're making sure that Waterhall remains a vibrant, biodiverse haven for years to come. 💚

For those who own or enjoy woodlands on the Eastern Shore, summer is full of a chorus of birdsong – from the low pitched, short peek peek of hairy woodpeckers to the mesmerizing, intricate symphonies of the veery and wood thrush. These tweets and pips and melodies are made by forest interior dwelling species, a unique category of birds that rely on large forested areas to breed successfully and maintain viable populations. FIDS are collectively considered an “umbrella species” representative of the needs of their entire ecosystem, and they are experiencing pressures from habitat loss and fragmentation. ESLC plays a role in boosting conditions for FIDS through land protection on conservation easements. According to state data, 268 properties protected by ESLC intersect or contain FIDS habitat, for an estimated total of 19,916 acres of habitat protected. Properties that conserve FIDS habitat, such as the Abend Hafen Tree Farm conserved by ESLC in 1992, can be visited as part of our 2024 Bird Conservation Series. Learn more about the importance of our conservation efforts and how they benefit unique bird species, including FIDS, by attending one of our upcoming Bird Conservation Series events. Register at www.eslc.org/events

🌿 Just Released: Our Journey into Finland's 🇫🇮 Wetlands! 🌿 Check out the latest episode of our series "A Regenerative Journey" from Haltia Lake Lodge where we're getting our hands dirty in #Nuuksio National Park's bog restoration projects, managed by Metsähallitus / Parks & Wildlife Finland. Want to see what real conservation looks like? We're building dams and rewetting drained bogs - work that we have been making in the national park for three years now. These bogs aren't just pretty landscapes - they're powerhouses of carbon storage and home to countless species. 🐾 Ever wondered what it takes to bring a wetland back to life? Join us as we wade through the mud and witness these vital ecosystems spring back to life. From rare plants to returning wildlife, every restored bog tells a story of renewal. 🍃 🦋 🐦 Watch how simple actions can create lasting change for our environment! 🌍 Episodes 1 & 2 available in YouTube, please follow @haltialakelodge #RegenerativeTourism #SustainabilityInAction #WetlandRestoration #HaltiaLakeLodge #NuuksioNationalPark #ClimateAction Visit Finland Visit Espoo

🌿 Just Released: Our Journey into Finland's 🇫🇮 Wetlands! 🌿 Check out the latest episode of our series "A Regenerative Journey" from Haltia Lake Lodge where we're getting our hands dirty in #Nuuksio National Park's bog restoration projects, managed by Metsähallitus / Parks & Wildlife Finland. Want to see what real conservation looks like? We're building dams and rewetting drained bogs - work that we have been making in the national park for three years now. These bogs aren't just pretty landscapes - they're powerhouses of carbon storage and home to countless species. 🐾 Ever wondered what it takes to bring a wetland back to life? Join us as we wade through the mud and witness these vital ecosystems spring back to life. From rare plants to returning wildlife, every restored bog tells a story of renewal. 🍃 🦋 🐦 Watch how simple actions can create lasting change for our environment! 🌍 Episodes 1 & 2 available in YouTube, please follow @haltialakelodge #RegenerativeTourism #SustainabilityInAction #WetlandRestoration #HaltiaLakeLodge #NuuksioNationalPark #ClimateAction Visit Finland Visit Espoo

Great read 👍 Some useful tips and reminders for rewilding gardens, such as picking an array of plants that will provide fruit/ nectar all year round and always checking that the compost your using is peat free… or even having a go at making your own! 🌱🪵

#NoMowMay is just the beginning — let's embrace wilder gardens and land all year long 🌼 As we approach the end of #NoMowMay, let's carry the momentum forward and keep our gardens and land wilder all year-round. One of the simplest and most impactful steps you can take is to let your grass and wildflowers grow a bit longer. By cutting or scything it just a few times a year, you'll provide birds and insects with flowers and seedheads that change throughout the seasons. This variety is essential for wildlife to thrive. Many large-scale rewilding projects introduce grazers, such as wild ponies and bison, on a rotational basis to enhance landscape diversity and attract different species. By varying your mowing patterns, you can mimic a natural grazing process and boost biodiversity in your backyard. If a complete rewilding transformation feels too daunting, start small. Extend the principles of #rewilding into the rest of the year and gradually reduce mowing frequency. 💡 Feeling inspired to #RewildYourGarden? Head to our website for more tips and inspiration: https://lnkd.in/gUjDJ-_J Photo: James Ingram Plantlife International #NoMowSummer #RewildingBritain #RewildYourGarden

🌱 Restoring Native Forests and Respecting First Nations Knowledge 🌱 As Chair of Greenfleet’s Board, I am constantly reminded of the deep responsibility we have—not only to act on climate but also to listen to and learn from Australia’s First Nations peoples, the world’s longest-standing land managers. Earlier this year, Greenfleet staff had the privilege of joining Mark Koolmatrie, a proud Ngarrindjeri elder, at our Bull Creek property in South Australia. Mark graciously welcomed them and our supporters to Country and reflected on the difference a year can make when restoring native ecosystems. His insights into Ngarrindjeri Country and the importance of restoring native forests were both humbling and inspiring. At Bull Creek, Greenfleet is restoring 14 hectares of land with locally native species, creating vital ecological connections to the nearby Cox Scrub Conservation Park. On a recent visit, we planted Desert Banksia (Banksia ornata) and Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) to help support pygmy possum populations. Mark is also the owner of Kool Tours, where visitors can explore the rich history and knowledge of Ngarrindjeri Country through authentic cultural experiences. At Greenfleet, we firmly believe that climate action and reconciliation go hand in hand. As we work to restore native ecosystems, we remain committed to listening to and partnering with First Nations voices to ensure our work honours the land, its history, and its future. See the progress at our Bull Creek forest: https://lnkd.in/gxDG6gkd #Reconciliation #GrowingHope #Greenfleet #Reforestation #FirstNations #Ngarrindjeri #ClimateAction #Reconciliation #Biodiversity

🌿 Collaboration in Action 🌿 We’re excited to share that Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park have been featured in a New York Times Opinion piece! The article highlights how both organizations empower people to take small, impactful steps toward restoring biodiversity—one yard, balcony, or flowerpot at a time. 🦋🐝 🌱 Wild Ones began as a Milwaukee garden club in 1977 and has grown into a national nonprofit with over 130 chapters dedicated to promoting native plants through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Our members provide the grassroots power behind our mission, offering a wealth of expertise, while chapters carry out the mission through native plant seed exchanges, garden tours, and educational programs. Together, we’re growing a movement of communities creating beautiful, biodiverse landscapes. 🌱 Homegrown National Park aims to build the largest cooperative conservation project ever imagined by inspiring people to turn every available space—yards, sidewalk strips, school grounds, and balcony planters—into habitat. Through education on keystone species, reducing chemical use, and creating tools for action, they’re making biodiversity restoration achievable for everyone. Every action counts, and together, we’re proving that meaningful change starts right at home. 📖 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ghcGqj2V

The Return of Megafauna – Horses in Rewilding 🐴💚 For new Alliance Partner Rewilding America Now, horses are an intrinsic part of their rewilding: their mission is to conserve and restore the North American landscape through rewilding, with a focus on wild horses as a keystone species. Rewilding America Now fosters partnerships with tribal nations and incorporates traditional ecological knowledge to the heart of their work. 🤝🪶 And using science-backed research, they advocate for public policy that protects wild horses and allocates new resources for breakthrough rewilding initiatives. Why #horses? 🐴🐎 - Wild horses play an important ecological role in grassland and semi-forest open ecosystems, combatting woody encroachment on landscapes and allowing space for a variety of grasses, bushes, wildflowers and herbs, and thus insects and birds.  - Through trampling and wallowing, they act as #ecosystemengineers, creating different ‘microhabitats’.  - Their presence in these ecosystems, therefore, has an impact on countless other species both big and small, from the soil that absorbs nutrients and seeds from their dung to the skies where native birds soar in search of prey.  - Also, key research has been done on the role of other megafauna species and their crucial role in Animating the Carbon Cycle. Welcome to the global, growing #rewilding network! 🌿🪲 Read more about their work on our blog… (each week we will be introducing you to a handful of wonderful new Alliance Partners) https://lnkd.in/gGeHjshA