GovWire

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity includes every living organism on our planet, from the tallest tree down to the smallest microscopic organisms and all the mammals, invertebrates, plants, and fungi in between. It provides us with food through pollination, cleans the water we drink and the air we breathe, and improves our mental and physical wellbeing.

How woodland creation can help biodiversity

Woodlands offer a unique and diverse habitat that thousands of species call home. Mammals, birds, invertebrates, plants, lichens, and fungi rely on a woodlands diverse structure, from the tips of a trees flourishing canopy all the way down its vast network of underground roots. Trees not only support wildlife they help sustain healthy ecosystems, maintain climate regulation, and protect soils playing a major role in aiding natures recovery.

Creating more woodland will enable us to restore and reconnect Englands wooded landscape currently covering 10% of our landscape, compared to Europes 40% average forest cover. Creating larger, wooded habitats will enable us to expand and join up vital wildlife corridors on a transformative scale with each and every tree giving nature a fighting chance to recover.

Boosting pollinator populations

Approximately three-quarters of all crops need insects to pollinate them. Without these vital insect pollinators, we would have to do this difficult and time-consuming job ourselves costing 1.8 billion every year. Pollinators support healthy ecosystems, pollinating crops and flowers which in turn provide food for other wildlife. Woodlands are particularly important for pollinators, such as bumblebees and butterflies, providing a safe refuge all year round and supporting insects with a reliable food source thanks to a range of pollen and nectar-producing plants.

The importance of woodland soils

Healthy soil is essential for biodiversity, with a teaspoon of garden soil containing thousands of species, millions of individual creatures, and a hundred metres of fungal networks. This ecosystem sustains life on our planet, and is crucial for successful agriculture, helping to process waste organic matter, store carbon, and regulate the water cycle. Without healthy soil, plants cannot access the nutrients they need to grow, and the whole food chain collapses.

Woodland soil takes decades to form and is rich and fertile thanks to extensive root networks, layers of leaf litter, and a lack of disturbance. Deadwood and dying trees play an essential role in the formation of those soils, and act as a habitat for up to a fifth of woodland species. Even outside large woodlands, trees and hedges can make a big impact on soil health, for example within regenerative agricultural practices. Find out how the Sustainable Farming Incentives arable and horticultural standard focuses on improving soil health, structure, organic matter, and biology to benefit food production.

Why act now?

Biodiversity is in trouble. One million species are on the brink of extinction globally. Nature is under increasing pressure from population growth, industry pollution, intensive land use, and climate change decreasing and fragmenting our natural habitats. The UK is now rated as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with over 40% of species in decline, including many important insect pollinators. We can protect, restore and expand existing woodland habitats, home to a wealth of animal and plant species, to support natures recovery at a transformative scale.

With expert advice and financial support available, you can create new woodland now and make a difference safeguarding a wildlife-rich legacy for your community and future generations to enjoy.

Different types of woodland support nature in different ways

All woodland and forests can be valuable for nature if managed appropriately to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

• ancient semi-natural woodlands have been in existence since 1600. They support more species than any other land-based habitat in the UK8 as well as delivering ecosystem services such as water regulation and carbon storage. Protecting and managing ancient woodlands, while expanding and connecting nature networks with new native woodlands, is critical and beneficial for all living things. Read more about the protection of ancient and native woodland in the Keepers of time: ancient and native woodland and trees policy in England

• native woodlands can include both semi-natural and planted broadleaf trees. They are very rich in biodiversity and support a wide range of flora and fauna. Broadleaf woodlands account for half of the UK forest cover and are wildlife havens for iconic species such as the hazel dormouse, barbastelle bats, and nightingales

• non-native woodlands typically consist of mainly conifer species, often managed commercially. Whilst they tend to support a less diverse range of species than their native counterparts, they still enhance biodiversity if managed appropriately. Their scale can often provide protection from disturbance, allowing species to thrive that couldnt elsewhere. Dormice, bullfinch, bats, and pearl-bordered fritillaries can all be found in non-native woodlands, especially where there are plenty of clearings, rides and glades within them

• mixed woodlands contain both broadleaf and conifer species. Depending on the tree species and management of these woodlands, they may provide a similar habitat to semi-natural woodlands, supporting similar species. Diversity in tree species, age, and woodland structure is key to how wildlife-rich they are

• riparian woodlands (alongside rivers) will encourage wide wooded buffers to develop around watercourses. Allowing natural processes to take place will encourage rivers and streams to meander, slowing the flow of water off the land, protecting soil, improving water quality, and creating complex and connected wetland habitats. Consider what historic drainage works have occured in your wood and if there is scope to re-engineer and re-wet your s

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