Guide to Habitat Creation
by Chris Baines & Jane Smart

Synopsis

Anyone can use this pocket guide to the creation or restoration of all types of habitat – wildlife gardener, woodsman, farmer, school teacher, park-keeper, parish councillor or local authority planner. It began life as a special publication of the London Ecology Unit (now defunct) of the Greater London Council, but has continued as a popular first read for everyone interested in greening their local environments.

Contents

Introduction; Grasslands – Adapting Existing Grasslands, Mowing Regimes (flowery formal lawns, springtime wildflower meadows, summer meadows), Introducing wildflowers to established grasslands (over-seeding, introduction by planting, introduction by turf), Creating meadows by seed (first-year establishment); Woodlands – Lessons from Nature by letting a woodland develop naturally, Creating woodland in existing grassland (scrub promotion, planting scrub species), Woodland planting into soil, Revitalizing existing stands of mature trees, Hedgerows, Tree seeding into open ground, Diversifying the woodland for wildlife, Commercial woodland; Wetlands – Improving existing open waters, New wetlands, Wetland management; Wastelands; Interpretation and Education (telling people what is going on, habitat creation in schools); Appendices – Specialist seedsmen selling wildflower seed from native British sources, Insects associated with commoner British trees, Plant species suitable for establishment in grasslands, woodlands, wetlands and wastelands; Bibliography.

The Authors

Chris Baines is a horticulturist and landscape architect who has worked in the landscape contracting industry, municipal parks, and international landscape consultancy. He has advised government departments and local authorities. He taught landscape design at the former City of Birmingham Polytechnic for 15 years which led to a personal Professorship. He is now best known as an environmental writer, commentator and broadcaster.

Jane Smart who has a PhD in plant ecology from Sheffield University, has carried out research into the rehabilitation of wetlands for nature conservation, in association with the Nature Conservancy Council. She was a member of the Greater London Council’s ecology section and of the London Ecology Unit when she provided technical advice on thr creation and management of habitats. She was Conservation Director of the London Wildlife Trust and later Director of the charity Plantlife. She now works for IUCN in Switzerland.

Date of publication: 1991, reprinted every year since then
ISBN: 978 185341 031 4
Pages: 104 over 90 line drawings
Dimensions: 192 x 103 mm (paperback only); weight: 110 grammes
Price: £5.99