Online Resources: Ecosystems
The history and ecology of dry stone walls
Excellent YouTube video in which famer and historian Tom Lord and conservationist Bill Sutherland explain why dry stone walls rather than hedges are used to divide fields in upland areas, what the different styles of such walls reveal about landscape usage over time, and how they foster ecological diversity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUg2RdIbcao
Changes to Britain’s landscape by 2040
Predictions indicate a raft of differences to landscapes, coastlines and rivers, but fortunately it’s not all doom and gloom.
https://thenaturenetwork.co.uk/why-the-uk-will-have-a-completely-different-landscape-by-2040/
The importance of ponds
Ponds make an enormous contribution to biodiversity and also mitigate the dangers of both flooding and drought. More than half of Britain’s ponds have disappeared since 1900, but restoring them and/or creating new ones is assisting in the fight against climate change and nature depletion.
https://theconversation.com/britains-ponds-are-disappearing-heres-why-restoring-them-is-vital-for-wildlife-and-climate-resilience-267649?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20December%201%202025%20-%203600236755&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20December%201%202025%20-%203600236755+CID_f3db55d9f90b730aad50cb7f0dc83142&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Britains%20ponds%20are%20disappearing%20%20heres%20why%20restoring%20them%20is%20vital%20for%20wildlife%20and%20climate%20resilience
Unusual rock formation under Bermuda
At 20 km (12.4 miles) thick, the layer of rock beneath the oceanic crust underlying Bermuda is thicker than any other known worldwide. Its origins are uncertain, but one theory is that it may be the legacy of a volcanic eruption 31 million years ago.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/giant-structure-discovered-deep-beneath-bermuda-is-unlike-anything-else-on-earth/ar-AA1Sf4if?ocid=nl_article_link
Rewilding Leewood in the Walkham Valley on Dartmoor
11-minute YouTube video of a little-known rewilding project in Devon which began in 1990 and has greatly improved biodiversity in the area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmJ_8q6Qcqs
Why rivers sometimes flow backwards
Photos and examples are used to help explain what tidal bores are and how they can be affected by high winds and atmospheric pressure.
https://thenaturenetwork.co.uk/why-some-uk-rivers-are-suddenly-flowing-backwards/
Dizzard Woods: a fragment of the UK’s ancient temperate rainforest
Located on Cornish cliffs, the woodland near Dizzard Point is more than 6,000 years old. Species include dwarf sessile oaks and wild service trees, supported by a varied mycelial network which includes puffballs and amethyst deceivers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiFRlNagUGE
Growing trees in a challenging environment
How Iceland’s Land and Forest Services are working to restore the island’s birch and ash forests and promote biodiversity after centuries of sheep grazing, soil erosion and volcanic eruptions. YouTube documentary with subtitles (lasts just under 28 minutes).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbkWBmF
Importance of preserving unprotected peatlands
If drainage of peatlands, bogs and swamps continues, the carbon dioxide released could raise global warming to irretrievably dangerous levels. These crucial ecosystems currently occupy just 3% of land worldwide, yet contain more carbon than the forests of the entire globe, prevent flooding, reduce the risk of drought, and provide habitats for a vast panoply of plant and animal species.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/13/worlds-largely-unprotected-peatlands-are-ticking-carbon-bomb-warns-study
Plant life on limestone pavements
The ecosystem fostered by clints and grikes in Yorkshire.
https://theconversation.com/the-secret-world-of-plants-living-in-our-limestone-pavements-243211?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Weekend%20Conversation%20-%203211432770&utm_content=The%20Weekend%20Conversation%20-%203211432770+CID_2f1044d81aa361f2c838c6a16d685615&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=The%20secret%20world%20of%20plants%20living%20in%20our%20limestone%20pavements
What happens when you set a river free
The National Trust removed man-made alterations to the course of a river in Somerset to see what would happen. Within a year, historic wetlands had regenerated, allowing flora and fauna to flourish and reducing flooding in nearby villages. The trial has been so successful that, while not appropriate everywhere, similar methods may be employed by the NT in other suitable areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp7K6pEWEuk
Man as a geological agent: an account of his actions on inanimate nature
Digital edition of R.U. Sherlock’s 1922 book, featuring numerous examples from Cheshire.
https://archive.org/details/manasgeologicala00sheriala/page/136/mode/2up?ui=embed&view=theater
Human interaction with the landscape can improve biodiversity
The low-intensity agricultural management style favoured by Neolithic farmers tends to offer greater ecological benefits than rewilding.
https://theconversation.com/the-first-farmers-often-made-landscapes-more-biodiverse-our-research-could-have-lessons-for-rewilding-today-233272?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20July%2026%202024%20-%203047131055&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20July%2026%202024%20-%203047131055+CID_93a10cb74465469d5bbf8c9319aa3871&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=The%20first%20farmers%20often%20made%20landscapes%20more%20biodiverse%20%20our%20research%20could%20have%20lessons%20for%20rewilding%20today
Nature’s ghosts: how reviving medieval farming offers wildlife an unexpected haven
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/23/natures-ghosts-excerpt-sophie-yeo-the-vile-national-trust-aoe
Reviving England’s endemic plants
Photos and explanations about the processes used to restore native plants for ecological, medicinal and culinary purposes.
https://www.newsbreak.com/discover-wild-science-318442312/3979384855350-from-monastery-herbs-to-modern-meadows-reviving-england-s-endemic-plants
‘Like finding a pyramid’ What ancient buried yew trees tell us about the Fens
https://inews.co.uk/news/science/buried-ancient-yew-trees-fens-2772821
Britain’s hidden woodlands
Slide show with text below.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/tripideas/britain-s-beautiful-hidden-woodlands-are-packed-with-secrets/ss-AA1hHak8?item=module_ad_enabled%253afalse#image=6
Behind the scenes: woodland management during the winter months
https://heartofenglandforest.org/news/behind-scenes-woodland-management-during-winter-months?utm_source=Heart+of+England+Forest+Communications&utm_campaign=e722184de0-ENEWSLETTER-JAN-2019_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_970ca1fa29-e722184de0-159908301&mc_cid=e722184de0&mc_eid=26c300a6b7
Why dandelions are a crucial feature of the landscape
They may be the bane of uptight gardeners intent on ‘perfect’ lawns and ‘weedless’ flowerbeds, but dandelions are ecosystem champions. More than 200 species of insect benefit from heir resilience and ability to withstand heat, urban environments and lawnmower blades. Their yellow flowers provide over 90% of the nectar and 80% of the pollen consumed by pollinators, and their leaves are a favourite food of rabbits.
https://theconversation.com/how-dandelions-conquered-concrete-to-bring-nature-back-to-cities-254849?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20April%2030%202025%20-%203358634253&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20April%2030%202025%20-%203358634253+CID_a9ce4b21d735e3abfc3f30d36236292f&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=How%20dandelions%20conquered%20concrete%20to%20bring%20nature%20back%20to%20cities
How to date a hedge
15-minute video which demonstrates how documentary evidence, citizen science and the Hooper Equation (110 x number of tree species counted in a 30-yard section of the hedge + 30) made it possible to determine that a hedge in Buckinghamshire is 1,121 years old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIg9ScsFXOs
Cheshire’s Networks for Nature
Nearly 3,000 metres of hedgerow, over 100 hectares of habitat and 20 ponds in Cheshire are being restored or created, thanks to a £4 million boost from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Community groups, charities and local authorities are collaborating to undertake the work and train wildlife champions of the future.
https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/chester-zoos-4m-funding-help-31622319?int_source=nba
Nature across twice the area of Manchester restored by National Trust
Blanket bog, wood pasture and parkland, meadows, lowland woodland and upland heaths are among the habitats restored or created in a 10-year project begun in 2015 and accomplished ahead of schedule.
https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/national/24551019.national-trust-restores-nature-across-area-twice-size-manchester/#:~:text=National%20Trust%20restores%20nature%20across%20area%20twice%20the%20size%20of%20Manchester,-56%20mins%20ago&text=The%20National%20Trust%20has%20hit,twice%20the%20size%20of%20Manchester.4
Nature takes over an abandoned military island in Scotland
18-minute film showcasing the seals, seabirds, spiders, owls and plantlife that live alongside derelict military installations on the island of Inchkeith in the Firth of Forth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMK-mTnkyK8
Amazing underwater landscape and ecosystem
A layer of freshwater teeming with microorganisms lies beneath the ice-covered surface of Lake Enigma in Antarctica.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/news/scientists-peered-into-a-secret-antarctic-lake-hidden-beneath-the-ice-and-uncovered-a-never-before-seen-ecosystem/ar-AA1wf5gF?ocid=nl_article_link
Ancient ruins obliterated by nature
Gallery of sites across the world.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/ancient-ruins-obliterated-by-mother-nature-in-the-uk-and-beyond/ss-BB1nJUhG
Map of what Britain would look like if all the Earth’s ice melted
Bye-bye, Chester and Wirral! Let’s hope this transformation is a very, very, very long time coming.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/fascinating-map-shows-what-uk-would-look-like-if-all-the-earth-s-ice-melted/ar-AA1mZQ2C?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=8a8f04ec48a44424bc4a9f2a7d1756f2&ei=5
History of Tidal Science in Liverpool
https://tide-and-time.uk/tidal-science-liverpool
National Memorial Arboretum Revisited
https://bitaboutbritain.com/national-memorial-arboretum-revisited/