There have been plenty of weird and wonderful titles used when it comes to nature and conservation, many of which are unfamiliar or confusing. So we thought it would be useful to share some of the words used and simply relate them to our project (or not as the case may be!).

Follow these links to also download Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Nature Recovery Plan which provides some useful visuals and data and Chris Packhams Peoples Manifesto for Wildlife which includes some valuable views from campaign leaders and priorities. Happy reading!

Here is our very own wild.NG dictionary!

Let us know if we can add more or if we need to explain better!

Nature Recovery Network (NRN) / connecting nature space together so they can be healthier, more diverse and sustainable. Nature needs to connect.

Habitat creation / planting, growing or protecting an area for nature, this may be specific like a meadow or woodland

Citizen science / communities, residents and people of all ages recording nature to help science. Like the RSPB garden bird watch or butterfly count or our very own City Nature Challenge happening from 30th April!

Recording / to identify what you see and sharing your species records for science, including plants, insects, mammals

Management plan / a document with actions (like a wild to do list!) to help improve nature. It may also include data and science indicators

Indicator species / This is a species which will quickly indicate if there is an improvement or decline in the health of nature. For example if we have more hedgehogs recorded next year in our wild.NG area we know we are doing a good thing!

Keystone species / Wolves are an obvious example but Oak Trees and Beavers is classed as keystone species too. This means they help hold a healthy ecosystem together

Ecosystem / In simple terms this is a biological community of living things

Hedgehog Highways / A bit like our pathways and roads, these are routes created to help hedgehogs navigate across areas. A good example is creating holes in our fences. Check our our projects page for more information and links about hedgehog highways

Living Hedge / forget our modern wooden or wire fences, these are natural boundary markers, usually made of native shrubs including hawthorn, blackthorn and ash. Traditional techniques are sometimes used to guide their growth and they are perfect for nesting birds and significantly important for nature recovery networks

Wildlife corridor / this is strip of natural habitat connecting populations of wildlife otherwise separated by cultivated land or roads for example.

Scrub / this is naturally regenerated locally native trees and shrubs, generally under 5m tall. Whist often seen as untidy, it is regarded as having a high nature conservation value

Invasive species / unfortunately this is when an animal or plant harms an environment after being introduced to it by humans. Good examples are Rhododendrons (taking hold of woodland understory) and Minks (a dominating species which eats everything in sight including birds eggs)

Brownfield site / this is an area of land or premises that has been previously used for development, but has subsequently become vacant or derelict. It has no law for protection, however they are often rich in wildlife (or richer) than a nature reserve and can be very important for wildlife in urban areas

Green space / a general term for an area which does not have any development on it. However it does not always indicate a wildlife rich environement

Green infrastructure / often used to describe urban areas with green space - this could be a verge, green roof, living walls, trees, and planters.

Guerrilla gardening / this is act of gardening on land that the gardeners do not have the legal rights to cultivate, such as abandoned sites, areas that are not being cared for, or private property. A good example is where plants have been sown at the base of a street tree.

Veteran trees / these are usually surviving trees that have developed some of the features found on ancient trees. However, veteran trees are usually only in their second or mature stage of life. Download the Nottingham City Urban Forest Strategy to find out more.

Nature Reserve / a protected area of importance for wildlife which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and research. We have one nature reserve in our project area called Woodthorpe Meadow (at the top of Sherwood high street) and is managed by a team of young volunteers.

National Nature Reserve (NNR) / these have been established by Natural England to protect some of our most important habitats, species and geology, and to provide 'outdoor laboratories' for research. Sherwood Forest is Nottinghamshires only designated NNR.

Local Nature Reserve (LNR) / these are protected areas important for wildlife which are created by Local Authorities, in our case Nottingham City, they are also referred to as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs)

Re-wildling / basically it’s more of a ‘hands off’ approach to restoring nature and letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to shape land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes. Through re-wilding, wildlife’s natural rhythms create wilder, more biodiverse habitats. It’s often associated with re-introductions of keystone species such as wolves and beavers.

Tipping point / this is at term to describe when a particular environmental impact is unstoppable. For example some of our UK peat moorlands are reaching a tipping point and if we do not act soon there will be no restorative opportunities in the future.

Restoration / this is a practice of renewing and restoring degraded or damaged ecosystems and habitats in the environment, by positive human intervention and action. We can do this!

Local Area Plan / this is a legal document and is a public statement of planning policies. It sets out a strategy for the Proper Planning and Sustainable Development of an area, for example, village/town/district. The Plan seeks to provide a framework for how a town can develop. Here is ours (to get to the important stuff go to page 139!)