East of England Biodiversity Forum

Links and enlargements

"Securing a more robust landscape, through site enlargement or by achieving links between fragmented habitats"

Key

	Situation
	Marine
	Coastal
	Designated sites
	Core nature areas

	Aspirations more
	Buffer zones
	Links & enlargements
	Landscape-scale projects

Functionally linking habitat fragments

Sandwiched between the small isolated fragments of habitat and the large-scale project areas are medium-sized stretches of the countryside capable of either enlargement and/or acting as functional corridors. Initiatives here commonly involve tree planting or the exploitation of watercourses' natural highway capabilities.

Environmental activity at these sites should mean the overall landscape becomes more permeable and better able to overcome the habitat's vulnerability to climate change.

Challenge 1: ‘Networking nature’
The Forum recognises that traditional conservation methods, often created small, isolated sites. To achieve a more connected landscape the Forum needs to harness local conservation activity to contribute to a strategic and holistic vision of the Region's natural environment. This objective will require functional linking of the Region's natural sites, hence 'Networking nature'.

The Forum has ensured its environmental opportunity map has been adopted at the regional level and appreciates it now needs to encourage local development frameworks to integrate 'networking nature' opportunities into their plans.

Click here to view the action plan pdf
Click here to view all the Challenges