Environment

Bucklesham Parish Council actively considers what actions we can properly take to increase biodiversity in Bucklesham and protect and enhance our environment. 

According to Defra (Biodiversity 2020), biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth. It includes all species of animals and plants – everything that is alive on our planet.

Biodiversity is important for its own sake and has its own intrinsic value. A number of studies have shown this value also goes further. Biodiversity is the building block of our ‘ecosystems’ that in turn provide us with a wide range of goods and services that support our economic and social wellbeing. These include essentials such as food, fresh water and clean air, but also less obvious services such as protection from natural disasters, regulation of our climate, and purification of our water or pollination of our crops. Biodiversity also provides important cultural services, enriching our lives.

The Council will consider sustainability, environmental impact and biodiversity when making decisions and will develop and implement policies and strategies as required. 

In particular, the Council will aim to improve the biodiversity Bucklesham village in the following ways:

• By considering the potential impact on biodiversity represented by planning applications of which we are a statutory consultee.
• By managing the Playing Field and the Allotments using environmentally friendly practices that will promote biodiversity.
• By supporting local businesses and Council operations in the adoption of low impact / nature positive practices.
• By encouraging and supporting other organisations within the parish to manage their areas of responsibility with biodiversity in mind - such as the school and the Village Hall
• By supporting residents and local organisations' activities to enhance and promote biodiversity. 

Planning applications

The Council will: 

• when commenting on planning applications, support site and building design that benefits biodiversity through the conservation and integration of existing habitats or provision of new habitats.
• support protection of sensitive habitats from development and will consider whether the development would mean the loss of important habitats for wildlife in respect of all applications. 
• consider what each proposed development might make in terms of biodiversity net gain.  

Land and property management

The Council has: 

• Carried out a biodiversity audit of the Playing Field and Allotments.
• Considered the conservation and promotion of local biodiversity with regard to the management of the Playing Field and Allotments. This has included adopting beneficial practices with regarding to cutting and removal of vegetation, application of chemicals and timing of maintenance work.
• Taken special care in the specification of grounds maintenance contracts to ensure that the work, whilst reaching acceptable standards, does not harm the natural environment.
• Sourced sustainable materials when procuring supplies for the Council’s use.
• Considered biodiversity issues and the implementation of changes when managing the Village Hall.  

Local community

The Council has: 

• Raised public awareness of biodiversity issues through this website and the Bucklesham Bugle. 
• Engaged with residents and allotment tenants regarding biodiversity in the village and how we can all assist and make a difference.
• Involved residents in biodiversity projects around the village such as tree planting on the Playing Field, hedge planting on the Archer Cartwright field boundary, siting bee hotels and birdboxes, and scattering wild flower seeds.  

Further evidence of the ways in which we have protected the natural environment and have nature at the forefront of our minds...

 

A tree stumps from the fallen poplar trees on the Playing Field have been left to provide habitats for insects and wildlife. The tree will continue to benefit birds, bugs, mushrooms and soil. This ‘snag’ is also a habitat for small mammals. 

Log piles have been made to encourage a range of wildlife including moss, fungi, insects and other invertebrates.  It will also attract a range of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds that will visit to prey on the insect residents.

  We also have badger sets at the far end of the Field. Badgers’ role as ecosystem engineers contributes to habitat diversity, maintaining and regenerating soil health through foraging and sett building, and helping to disperse seeds through their dung. They create new habitats for amphibians, invertebrates and pollinators, and their setts provide refuge for other wildlife too.  

In 2022, we planted 420 saplings of a variety of native trees and hedgerows including Rowan, Ash, Oak and Elm along with fruit trees and bushes.  

Although they are still quite small they will help with our efforts to mitigate against climate change in the years to come. We know that moths, birds, bats, dormice, butterflies, and fungi all depend on woods, trees and hedges to feed, breed and thrive.  

The woodland walkway that we created will boost the physical and mental health of our residents. As well as keeping our atmosphere rich in oxygen, they filter pollutants from the air, provide us with shade when it’s hot (possibly they will need to be a bit bigger for this bit!) and even improve our immunity. We know that chemicals released by plants and trees strengthen our immune, hormonal, circulatory and nervous systems when we breathe them in.

Trees also improve our quality of life - offering relief from the symptoms of anxiety and depression for many. 

Leaving an area at the top of the Field uncut allows grasses and other plants to seed and provide food for birds. Other plants and flowers we have in the summer months, such as daisies, provide nectar for hoverflies and bees. The bees will also make use of the buttercups to collect nectar and pollen. We have a huge variety of wild flowers in this area such as poppies, buttercups, cornflowers, knap weed and clover.

A large amount of ivy allowed to grow undisturbed on the poplar trees has provided a habitat for rare moths.