Road verges could become a huge countrywide wildlife habitat

Greenspace in urban areas is increasingly recognised as essential to both our physical and mental health. Previous studies have shown that exposure to biodiverse natural environments are important for all of nature. With the regeneration and rewilding of neglected areas, including car parks, vacant lots and road verges, the increase of insects including pollinators and birds are beneficial to all. The possibility to increase carbon capture and create cooling in ever increasing hot city summers is an amazing opportunity to begin to repair some of the damage to our natural environment.

A new report from Exeter University highlights the potential of road verges as a ‘significant opportunity’ to become ‘multifunctional green spaces’. The report suggests that managed road verges could create a combined area the size of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh for wildflowers all across the country. The report found that whilst some verges do need to be mown for safety reasons, most could be managed, reseeded and only mown once or twice a year. Some verges could also be a part of a much bigger tree planting vision, if done carefully to avoid any negative impact on drivers vision or damage to infrastructure from roots and branches.

Sadly the UK has lost 97% of it’s wildflower meadows since the 1930’s. A project in Dorset, the Weymouth Relief Road, where native wildflowers are grown on chalk verges, is now home to almost half of the butterfly species in the UK including the small blue.