The Hedgerley Biodiversity Plan aims to protect, promote and enhance biodiversity in Hedgerley.

The Plan was produced by the Biodiversity Working Group which is now tasked with its delivery. 

Leveraging partnerships is core to the delivery of the Plan: existing partnerships with Hedgerley Conservation Volunteers (HCV) and Burnham Beeches (City of London Corporation) have achieved so much for nature in Hedgerley over many years.  New partnerships with the Bucks. Owl and Raptor Group (BORG) and RSPB are also helping deliver positive outcomes for nature.  The Plan seeks to build additional partnerships, in particular in delivery of the Buckinghamshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy that was adopted last December.

The Plan was adopted by Hedgerley Parish Council in April 2025, so at the end of year one, what has been achieved?

• HCV has sown Yellow Rattle seeds in Church Meadow to parasitise the commercial grasses. This is to reduce these strong grasses in favour of less dominant grasses, e.g. Fescues, that not only allow wildflowers to thrive, but also provide food plants for butterflies’ caterpillars.  Dark Mullein has also been introduced to very specifically support Striped Lychnis moths (the moths are a dull brown, but the caterpillars are very colourful).
• HCV has also completed ‘halo release’ (clearing scrub and other trees to allow more light to the trees) of some of the veteran Oak trees in Church Meadow and Glebe Field to help them continue to thrive and support a host of wildlife.
• Additional trees (goat willow, aspen, guelder rose) have been planted in the Bainbridge Copse (Glebe Field) to support an even greater number of butterfly species e.g. Purple Emperor.
• Ancient and veteran trees in Hedgerley are being added to the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory (ATI) to help record where they are and as a first step to preserving our heritage.
• We engaged with RSPB over future of Church Wood, after it looked like they may sell it off – happily they are not – which has resulted in local volunteers assisting in the management of the wood and performing bird surveys.

Next steps for Year 2 include:

• Explore opportunities for locating a Barn Owl box somewhere in Hedgerley, building on our partnership with BORG.
• Shortlist potential new Local Wildlife Sites. 
• Set up butterfly monitoring and recording in partnership with Butterfly Conservation.
• Plant Dutch Elm Disease resistant elm trees (food plant of the White Letter Hairstreak butterfly)