As part of our Biodiversity Action Plan engagement and communication strategy we aim to provide regular updates on our progress.

Woodlands are one of the UK’s richest wildlife habitats. Woodlands are important for most forms of wildlife, including trees, shrubs, fungi, lichens, mammals, birds and invertebrates. They contain large numbers of species as well as provide important habitat for rare and threatened native species.

The woodlands within RBWM include both areas of ancient woodlands such as Windsor Forest and Great Park and Bisham woods and newly planted woodland areas such as those at Ockwells Park. The multi-funct...

Grasslands cover a large area of the UK and although they are dominated by grass cover, they can also contain lots of other plants species. Grasslands provide vital habitats to a range of native species including invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals some of which are rare and threatened species within the UK. Not only do grasslands provide habitat for wildlife, but provide opportunities for education and recreation, involving the local communities in projects and provide enormou...

Waterways are dynamic and varied habitats and are for invaluable wildlife habitats in the Borough.

The River Thames is one of the country’s largest and most important rivers although there are several other waterways including Local Wildlife sites (LWS) such as the Greenway LWS and York Stream LWS which run not only through rural areas but also very built up areas including the centre of Maidenhead. Waterways, either in their own right or in association with other habitats, are a vital nature con...

The standing water action plan relates to still or very slow flowing open water habitats including ponds, lakes and seasonal flushes. Within the borough there are oligotrophic (nutrient poor) mesotrophic (moderately nutrient rich) and eutrophic (nutrient rich) areas of standing water. Both eutrophic and mesotrophic waters can be very diverse, each with its own range of common and less common species. Standing water areas also have immense value for communities providing access to water for recre...

Urban areas are found across the UK and are expanding due to the increased pressure for housing numbers. The Urban Habitat Action Plan covers habitats occurring within towns or villages in RBWM. Not only will this Habitat Action Plan cover larger settlements within the Borough such as Maidenhead, Windsor, Ascot and Wraysbury, but smaller villages such as Holyport, Cookham and Datchet. Urban areas are often considered as being less important for biodiversity than the more...

The area of farmland within England is approximately 9.34 million hectares, about 70% of the land area of the England. There are large areas of agricultural land across RBWM including both pasture and arable. Much of the wildlife interest in arable areas is now found at the field margins with many arable weeds now among our rarest plants.

Farmland habitats within RBWM comprise priority habitats which include the following

• Arable field margins
• Ponds
• Hedgerows

Numerous protected species and UK BAP ...