As set out in the Lawton report, enhancing connections between, or joining up, sites, either through corridors or ‘stepping stones’ is key to creating a resilient ecological network.

They also provide a key link for people in urban areas to access semi-natural environments and experience the natural world.

The Green Infrastructure Framework (opens new window) is a commitment in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to support the greening of our towns and cities and enhance connections with the surrounding landscape as part of the Nature Recovery Network. Green Infrastructure is a network of multi-functional green and blue spaces and other semi-natural features that can deliver benefits for nature and people.

River corridors provide one of the easiest and most natural ways to start thinking about enhancing areas along their length, from their source in the moorlands right into the heart of the town or city. Also known as ‘blue infrastructure’, as well as the habitat in the water itself, they often feature trees or woodland on their banks, and footpaths or rights of way that give people the opportunity to interact with the wildlife they may see.

By mapping where is best to prioritise and target nature recovery, the Local Nature Recovery Strategies, being county-based, can go some way to helping plan where wildlife corridors between the National Park and urban areas can be most effective, for nature and people.

For nature

• Wildlife corridors help connect populations, allowing individuals and their genes to move.
• More areas to shelter, feed and breed can help maintain or create sustainable populations.
• Maintaining, enhancing and creating wildlife-rich areas in the greenbelt can help buffer the special habitats of the National Park.
• Some species use habitat features such as river corridors or particular hotspots to help them migrate.
• Wildlife corridors along roads, particularly with trees and other woody vegetation, can remove pollutants from the air and help buffer sensitive habitats.
• Wildlife corridors and stepping stones can help species move in response to climate change.
• More engagement with nature, encouraging people to care for and protect it.

What else can wildlife corridors deliver?

• Improve ecosystem service flow from the national park.
• Corridors that include access can facilitate walking or riding instead of vehicle use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and social inequality.
• Access associated with nature can encourage a healthier lifestyle.
• More engagement with nature and nature connectedness, which has many health and wellbeing benefits, including for depression and anxiety.
• Connecting nature to workplaces can improve concentration and productivity (opens new window).
• Trees and other vegetation can help improve air quality (opens new window) in urban and peri-urban areas by removing pollutants from the air.
• Resilience to and mitigation of climate change.
• Addressing social inequality - disadvantages groups have reduced socioeconomic-related inequalities in health (opens new window) when living in greener communities.
• Cultural and personal connections with nature and local spaces.
• Historic routes or linear features such as canals can also have an important function as nature corridors.

In practice

• Wildlife corridors can include street trees, green roofs, walls and hedges, gardens, sustainable drainage systems, woodlands, wetlands and natural flood management.
• Manage road verges managed sensitively for wildlife, for example by creating semi-improved or species-rich grassland or scrubby rough grassland.
• Maintain, enhance and create spaces for nature in greenbelt as a priority.
• Land owners and managers working together to coordinate the vision, objectives and action.
• Different local authorities should communicate, create and maintain a network of rights of way, all-use trails, cycle lanes and other sustainable access between urban areas and the National Park.
• New developments should consider impacts on green and blue spaces that are important for nature and people.
• Outreach and education programs for urban residents.