Green spaces, gardens and buildings

Our gardens, parks and all green spaces are important wildlife habitats. 

Devon’s hedgehog populations are now thought to be healthier in towns and villages than in the wider countryside. 

Gardens and parks can have intricate mosaics of habitats (flowers, ponds, scrub, trees, walls) which provide fantastic wildlife habitat.

What we need to do and where
A tall thistle is silhouetted against a setting sun within a steeply sloping field bordered with trees. In the distance buildings and other city structure can be seen.

Ludwell Valley Park (Exeter), Annie Houston

At the foreground of the photo is frosty mown grass that goes towards a variety of broadleaf trees clumping along a path with a bench. The early morning sun peaks through the branches, silhouetting the trees. It is clear blue sky beyond.

Heavitree Park (Exeter), Annie Houston

Snapshot for green spaces, gardens and buildings

What wildlife rich looks like:

Our gardens, parks and other green spaces are designed and managed for wildlife as well as for many other recreational and functional uses. They include intricate mosaics of habitats with trees, scrub, bushy hedges, flowers, ponds and long grass. Our buildings provide a home for bats and birds.

Devon Special Species include:

Mammals: Hazel dormouse, hedgehog, greater and lesser horseshoe bat, grey long-eared bat, serotine bat. 

Birds: Birds of towns and villages (starling, swift, house sparrow, house martin, spotted flycatcher)  

Invertebrates: Brown hairstreak butterfly, Plymouth spiders (horrid ground weaver), great crested newt. 

Plants: Plymouth pear, Deptford pink, green-winged orchid. Calcareous coastal grassland species (including field eryngo, Bithynian vetch and the Torbay limestone specialists) 

See the Devon Species of Conservation Concern spreadsheet for all species. 

UK significance:

UK priority habitat:  Ancient and veteran trees, wood pasture and parkland, broadleaved woodland, native hedges, lowland meadows, calcareous grasslands, broadleaved woodland, wet woodland and traditional orchards.  

Statutory irreplaceable habitat: Ancient and veteran trees, Ancient Woodlands 

Wider benefits: Recreation, landscape, flood control, air quality, water quality, pollinators, access to nature.

1. About

Public parks, churchyards and cemeteries, allotments, school grounds, golf courses, caravan parks and our private gardens are all examples of green spaces that are largely managed for recreation or other amenities and that can benefit wildlife. Green spaces that form part of landscaping schemes, such as on industrial sites, can also benefit wildlife. These public and private spaces are found in both urban and rural areas. 

Buildings can also support wildlife by providing valuable nesting and roosting sites, green roofs and walls.    

Green spaces and gardens are a vital part of Devon’s nature network. They’re increasingly being managed for wildlife and are often made up of small patches of lots of habitats such as trees, long grass, short grass, walls, hedges, flower beds, fruit trees, compost heaps and ponds. This mosaic of habitats is fantastic for wildlife as it provides lots of options for shelter and nesting sites and food for insects and small mammals. Insects and small mammals in turn provide food for larger mammals (such as hedgehogs), bats and birds. Birds such as swifts and house martins nest in our eaves and bats roost in our lofts and cellars.   

Some of our green spaces are among the best examples of UK priority habitats, including the limestone grasslands at Berry Head Country Park NNR in Torbay and Billacombe SSSI in Plymouth. Because many parks, such as Devonport Park in Plymouth and Phear Park in Exmouth, are remnants of parklands they have wildlife-rich ancient and veteran trees.  

Other green spaces support rare species. Bithynian vetch (a rare plant) is found along the seafront in Exmouth as well as on the cliffs at Sandy Bay Park just outside Exmouth. Bee orchids regularly pop up in patches of grasslands on industrial sites, including in Exeter and Exmouth. 

These green spaces also provide wider benefits. They help to improve air quality, capture and store carbon, reduce flooding, improve water quality and enhance our health and well-being. 

Key pressures and opportunities

See Habitats and Species pages for other relevant pressures and opportunities for specific habitats and species in our green spaces.

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Lighting, litter and pesticides

Light pollution can have serious impacts on wildlife including disturbing natural cycles and creating barriers in the landscape for light sensitive species such as bats.

The huge impacts of pesticides on the environment are well known. Insects numbers have plummeted due to lots of reasons including habitat loss and use of pesticides.

A Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) study estimates that 3 million small animals are killed by roadside litter every year, Glass bottles in east Devon have been found to contain the remains of hazel dormice. Hedgehogs can get caught up in litter such as yoghurt pots, tins and other plastics.  

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Non-native invasive species and diseases

A few species have become invasive and having serous impacts on the environment. These include common non-native species found in parks, gardens and green spaces such as grey squirrels and japanese knotweed as well as many invasive non-native aquatic species. Many of our invasive non-native have spread to the wild from gardens and aquariums.

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Huge interest in increasing wildlife, including for people

There are lots of Individuals, community groups, schools, businesses and organisations taking action for wildlife in our parks, gardens and green spaces. This is in part due to the increasing awareness of the benefits of nature for health and wellbeing, air quality, water quality and in storing carbon and reducing flooding. The Devon Local Nature Partnership has three connecting people and nature groups which help to promote best practice and support action for wildlife across the county. See the Connecting people and nature page for more details.

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New developments

There are huge opportunities to build wildlife into all new developments. The new statutory duty for Biodiversity Net Gain will help but it is important that wildlife habitats are created on site as well as off, especially to ensure that everyone has access to nature.

2. What we need to do and where

Priority

Better (wildlife-rich), bigger and more green spaces and gardens that are connected to a network of habitats across the county, benefiting Devon Special Species and achieving wider benefits such as carbon capture, water resilience and health and wellbeing. 

All existing and new buildings are managed or designed to provide wildlife habitats. 

Actions for green spaces, gardens and buildings

See Find out more below for links to more information on managing green spaces and gardens for wildlife. 

Create and manage a mosaic of wildlife-rich habitats in green spaces and gardens  

Always check what wildlife already exists before taking action. Consider the following as part of a well-designed green space or garden:  

  • Plant and manage dense shrubs and bushy hedges with climbers such as ivy and honeysuckle to provide shelter, nesting sites, flowers and berries. Don’t cut during the bird nesting season. 
  • Plant a wide range of flowering plants in borders. Choose plants to provide a range of flower shapes and to ensure that there are flowers for as long as possible through the year and a constant supply of pollen and nectar for insects. These do not have to be native species.  
  • Dig more ponds! Even tiny ponds are important for wildlife.  Add ramps to steep-sided ponds to help wildlife such as hedgehogs escape.  
  • Increase tree cover, including fruit trees. Follow best practice guidance regarding species selection, spacing and aftercare. Where possible, allow trees to mature and become veteran, with lots of deadwood for insects. 
  • Manage grasslands for wildlife by letting grass grow longer (for insects such as moths, butterflies and grasshoppers) and allowing native plants and seeds already in the grassland to grow. Only re-seed where needed.  Mow paths and clean edges to ensure that long grass looks designed rather than neglected. 
  • Create log piles for insects and fungi. 
  • Create gaps in fences to allow wildlife to move around.  
  • Check for wildlife before strimming and before lighting bonfires. Do not use robotic lawnmowers at night when wildlife such as hedgehogs can be active.  
  • Design and manage green spaces and gardens to store water and reduce run-off into drainage systems by creating rain gardens and sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). See Find out more below for information on rain gardens and SUDS.

Reduce the use of pesticides, including slug pellets.  

Eliminate litter

  • Everyone to reduce littering and to litter pick as a normal part of day-to-day life.
  • Local authorities to target routine litter operations to wildlife-rich green spaces 
  • Further develop and promote Devon County Council’s ‘Litter Kills Wildlife’ campaign in support of the Great British Spring Clean. 

Minimise light pollution 

Control invasive species  – See Invasives for more information. 

Provide nesting sites for birds and roosting sites for bats in buildings – see Birds in towns and villages and Bats 

Create green roofs and walls 

Integrate accessible wildlife into all new urban design schemes, following national best practice including Natural England’s principles for green infrastructure 

Where to focus action

Focus action everywhere! Wildlife-rich green spaces and gardens are needed across Devon.   

However check the Viewer (See Mapping) to see if your green space or garden is in a High Opportunity Area. If it is, where possible carry out the actions set out for that area.

3. Inspiration

Please share case studies and places to visit.  

Case studies

There’s lots of great work going on across Devon for green spaces, gardens and buildings. For example:

Where to visit

Always follow the Countryside Code and keep to footpaths and sites that are managed for public access. Good places to see parks and gardens that are managed for wildlife are:

To be added – National garden scheme

For information on visiting these and other sites that are open to the public please see the Explore Devon website.

4. Find out more

This section will be tidied up and finalised following public consultation. Please share any links.

Green space design and management:

Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework includes 15 Principles for creating high quality green infrastructure 

Sustainable Urban Drainage Scheme (SUDS) guidance 

Buglife has published guidance on Creating Green Roofs for Invertebrates –  

Wildlife gardening:

Devon Wildlife Trust 

RHS Wildlife Gardening 

Garden Wildlife Health (GWH) is a collaborative project between the Zoological Society of London, British Trust for Ornithology, Froglife and the RSPB which aims to monitor the health of, and identify disease threats to, British wildlife. The website has lots of useful information and a section allowing people to report incidents of disease and mortality.

Lighting

The Devon Local Nature Partnership website has lots of useful information on lighting – Devon Dark Skies – Devon Local Nature Partnership 

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