Sunnighill and Ascot green corridors

The latest WWF's Living Planet Report showed there has been an unprecedented 69% decline in global wildlife populations in less than 50 years. Yet, our existence and all economic activities depend on natural systems.  Although the most dramatic drops in biodiversuty have been in tropical developing regions, declines in Europe were 18%, from an already depleted state when data started being compiled.  Most of this lost can be attributed to habitat degradation or loss due to the pressure of urbanisation and consumption. 

Similar to most people that live in UK urban and suburban areas, the residents of Ascot and Sunninghill value the quality of life and property value that our surrounding green areas provide; clean air, tranquil environments, healthy gardens and many other ecosystem services.  This was recognised in the , and so with the aim of retaining a viable reservoir of as wide a range of wild flora and fauna as possible, the Wildlife in Ascot group (WiA) identified the remaining natural areas that provide connectivity for wildlife across the villages. These 'Green Corridors' not only join several of the Parish Local Wildlife Sites and safeguard streams, but also connect three significant natural reserves namely The Great Park, Swinley Forest and Chobham Common, hence increasing the impact of any efforts on these sites to preserve and enhance their biodiversity. 

With the support of Sunninhill and Ascot Parish Council, WiA and Silwood Park are collaborating to describe the diversity of habitats and species that currently use the green corridors and create guidelines for management that would enhance their value for wildlife. The assessment of the habitat and species diversity along the green corridors will be achieved by the completion of diversity surveys of key groups of species and the collection of independent and opportunistic sighting records of wildlife.