Moving Beyond "Islands" of Biodiversity

Theme:	ECOLOGY NETWORKS
Current Topic:	Nature Recovery Plan
Thread Title:	Moving Beyond "Islands" of Biodiversity
Thread Number:	3 of 7
Learning Focus:	Learn how the Salcombe Network is redefining conservation. Explore "nature-friendly farming" and the creation of a "Green Highway" connecting the Jurassic Coast to inland Devon.

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How a "Green Highway" in Devon is Redefining the Future of British Conservation

In the field of modern conservation, a quiet but significant shift is occurring. For decades, efforts to protect nature often focused on isolated pockets, a single woodland here, a small meadow there. While well-intentioned, these "islands" of biodiversity often struggle to support resilient ecosystems. Wildlife remains trapped within invisible boundaries, unable to migrate, hunt, or breed across wider territories, leading to precarious genetic bottlenecks.

The key recovery project in Salcombe Regis represents a radical departure from this fragmented approach. Led by the National Trust and the National Landscape Partnership, this initiative moves beyond the traditional model of planting "random woods." Instead, it treats the landscape as a cohesive, living system where every hedge and field serves a strategic purpose.

By focusing on the valleys and ridges of East Devon, the project aims to bridge the gap between the dramatic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast and the rolling hills further inland. This "green highway" is designed to ensure that nature is not merely preserved in stasis but is given the landscape-scale connectivity required to adapt to a changing climate.

Beyond Random Trees—Building the "Green Highway"

The tactical linchpin of the project lies in shifting the metric of conservation success from the raw number of trees planted to the degree of connectivity achieved. At Combe Wood Farm, the National Trust has moved into an active delivery phase, utilising the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) scheme to transform the site into a primary wildlife bridge.

The project functions as a living laboratory for community-led restoration. To date, the effort has seen the planting of 4,500 trees and the reinstatement of 300 meters of hedgerows, bolstered by the hands-on involvement of the Sidmouth Scouts and the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group. These are not merely aesthetic additions; they are functional infrastructure. By "meshing" the farms together, these hedgerows provide a protected route for species to travel between the coast and the inland hills.

2025 also saw the sowing of wildflower seeds into improved pastures, sparking the progression to higher value semi-improved grasslands. To prove the functional health of this corridor, the team recently installed Barn Owl and Kestrel boxes. These provide a foothold for apex predators that specifically hunt along the valley corridor, signaling the return of a complete and connected food web.

The Surprising Value of an Abandoned Christmas Tree Farm

One of the most innovative aspects of the Combe Wood Farm strategy involves the treatment of a former commercial Christmas tree plantation. Felled between 2022 and 2023, the site could have been replanted with traditional timber. However, the 2026 management plan opts for a more passive, nature-led approach: natural regeneration.

Rather than dictated rows of commercial trees, the area is being allowed to evolve into a mosaic of scrub and wildflowers. This transition creates a diverse habitat that supports a wider variety of life than a monoculture plantation ever could. By stepping back and letting nature "take the lead," the project fosters a wilder landscape that is more resilient than human-led planting. This transition recognises that a messy, varied scrubland often provides more ecological value than a tidy, commercial forest.

Cows as Landscape Architects

At South Combe Farm, the project is implementing a Regenerative Farm model to demonstrate that agriculture and conservation are not mutually exclusive. The strategy involves converting large sections of the farm into permanent, species-rich pastures.

Central to this model is the use of hardy cattle grazed at low densities. These animals act as "landscape architects," using their movement and grazing habits to create "natural disturbance." This process is essential; the cattle break up dominant, aggressive grasses that would otherwise choke out smaller species, creating the light and space necessary for rare wildflowers to flourish.

Core Philosophy Statement: The site functions as a living laboratory to prove that high-quality food production and the "Ecological Network" can coexist within the same footprint.

This "Nature-Friendly Farming" approach is supported by rigorous data. Following extensive soil testing completed in 2024/25, the 2026 management plan focuses on carbon sequestration. By using the farm’s soil as a tool to lock up carbon, the project contributes directly to the National Trust’s Net Zero 2030 goal.

The "Missing Link" of Standing Dead Wood

While the farms act as corridors, Combe Head Wood serves as a vital Core Area. In a strategic ecological network, Core Areas must be of the highest possible biological quality so they can "export" biodiversity into the surrounding "green highways."

The National Trust is managing this ancient woodland with specific, high-impact interventions. By avoiding clear-felling and using selective thinning, they allow light to reach the forest floor, encouraging the growth of rare flora like bluebells and violets and supporting the local hazel dormouse population.

A critical component of this restoration is the preservation of "standing dead wood", upright dead trees. While often removed in commercial forestry for being "untidy," these trees are essential for specialised fungi and beetles. These organisms are the "missing link" in the food chain, recycling nutrients and supporting bird and mammal life. In this context, an "untidy" forest is the hallmark of a mature, high-functioning ecosystem.

Mapping the "Human" Network onto the Wild

The Salcombe Network vision recognises that humans are a part of the landscape, not separate from it. To this end, the project is integrating new permissive paths that link the South West Coast Path at Salcombe Hill through the farms and into the inland woods.

By mapping the human network with the same care as the wildlife corridor, the project ensures that public access does not compromise ecological goals. This integrated planning creates a sense of "connectedness" for the person walking the trail, mirroring the connectivity experienced by the wildlife in the hedges beside them. Visitors can already see the physical results: fences have been set back to create wider green margins, and newly established hedges are beginning to physically knit the landscape together.

Conclusion: A Landscape in Motion

The Salcombe Network is a vision of a landscape in motion. From the meticulous restoration of Combe Head Wood as a biodiversity source to the conversion of South Combe Farm into a carbon-sequestering pasture, the project is on a clear trajectory toward a more integrated future.

Looking toward 2026 and the ultimate 2030 Net Zero target, the "Green Highway" serves as a blueprint for how strategic planning can restore the biological links that have been missing for decades. As these habitats continue to "mesh," it raises a compelling question for anyone walking the Salcombe Hill circular: when we look at a managed landscape, do we see a series of separate fields, or are we witnessing the slow, deliberate return of a singular, connected wild?

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