Links to some relevant or interesting websites
The Forum for the Application of Conservation Techniques
A great resouce with information on issues to do with scrub control, grazing, weeds, and habitat creation. Excellent downloads available. Includes the Ecolots pages, where people can buy, sell or swap relevant products.
Farm Wildlife
A superb new resource aimed at farmers and land managers, which includes a discussion forum where you are almost guaranteed an answer from an expert to any technical query you may have.
Flora Locale
Flora Locale have an excellent web site, where you can find lists of approved suppliers. Look for the red flower symbol on the list of suppliers. On the site, you will find the best information on the establishment of 'wildflower meadows', including help on designing a project, selecting species. There are even biogeographic region maps, to help you wherever you are in the country.
Bat Conservation Trust
There is a lot of information on this web site, including downloads of guidance for developers, and many ways to get more advice on bats, including a forum for posting your questions or answers.
Froglife
Everything you may want to know about amphibians and reptiles, including important informtion on surveying and management.
The Species Dictionary
A fantastic new service from the National History Museum. Just enter any species name, from lapwing to an obscure jumping spider, and you will receive several sorts of information on the species. For commoner species, you get a description, as well as a scientific name. If you click on the scientific name, and then on 'Designations for ....." you get access to all the lists that the species is found on, including the Red Data Book, Biodiversity Lists, Birds Directives, etc. Very useful when justifying conservation measures and prioritising species and habitat management. Note that the designations lists do work on common names; you generally get no result.
The Postcode Plant Finder
The Postcode Plants Database generates lists of native plants and wildlife for any specified postal district in the UK. Simply by typing in the first three or four characters of their postcodes, householders, schools, garden centres and councils can obtain tailor-made lists of local plants, many of which are both hospitable to wildlife and suitable for gardens within their postal districts.
English Nature
To look up Management Handbooks, including the Upland Management Handbook, the Lowland Grassland Management Handbook, and the Veteran Trees Management Handbooks look under publications on the English Nature web site.
DEFRA
As you would expect, all the information on schemes run by DEFRA. In particular, you can download application forms and handbooks as .pdf files (though its normally easier to phone your local office and get them to send you them out). Consultation and other documents available by searching can often give you inside information on current affairs, such as the new Entry Level Stewardship Scheme.
MAGIC
A service provided by DEFRA, using which you can search any area of land in England for designations, such as SSSI's, NVZ's, and also see WGS and CSS areas etc. A remarkably useful tool, especially when considering land purchases or grant applications.
Old Maps
Find out what your site looked like in the mid-nineteenth century.
Castle Howard nursery
We recommend Castle Howard nurseries on the basis that they produce high quality products at competitive prices.
Landlife
In our opinion, the best place to get wild flower seeds from, because they will also give you excellent advice on appropriate seed mixes, varieties, and methods of establishment.
Acorn Planting Products
Acorn have a fantastic range of tree tubes, mulch mats, shrub guards, and ties. They have products that are biodegradable, photo-degradable, or specially formulated for recycling. The best you can get for your tree planting, hedge planting, or shrub planting schemes. Many of their products are already being made from recycled plastic bottles.
Plantlife
Plantlife is Britain's only national membership charity dedicated exclusively to conserving all forms of plant life in its natural habitat: the nation's champion of wild plants