Overview

In their early stages, planted woodlands may not support the biodiversity of mature woodlands, making their value seem irrelevant (Watts et al., 2020). However, these woodlands can offer a less hostile environment for species movement, enhancing connectivity and benefiting biodiversity.

Our study uses woodlands planted under grant schemes in the 1990s as a natural experiment to explore their connectivity value. Using novel empirical research techniques, we aim to gather evidence for species movement across fungi, invertebrates, mammals, and plants.

The findings will help manage and target new woodland creation to maximize biodiversity gains and deliver ecological benefits.

This project is part of the Nature for Climate Fund.