This campaign has now closed
We will protect the wonderful wildlife in Sydenham Hill Wood by improving footpaths which have seen an 81% increase in visits since 2019. We need to improve footpaths to protect important habitats for wildlife and to provide better access around the site to accommodate growing numbers of visitors. Thanks to The Dulwich Society who have generously provided match funding for this campaign.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Sydenham Hill Wood has seen an 81% increase in footfall since 2019. We’re delighted to see so many people enjoying the Wood, however, this increase in people has taken its toll on the species that rely on it, like robins, hedgehogs, bluebells, and wood anemone. The cumulative impact of lots of visitors walking on areas off the paths has increased disturbance of wildlife and trampling of ground flora. We’ve already seen a decline in birds in our monthly surveys, so we need to act now.
Solution
We need to restore the network of paths to keep people from treading new ones, protecting this habitat and keeping it joined up for species like: • Robins and chiffchaffs – which nest in the shrub layer. • Hedgehogs and voles – the vegetation provides cover for small mammals, and joined up habitat allows them to move around and breed freely. • Plants like wood anemone, sweet woodruff and wild garlic, ancient woodland indicator plants, are very sensitive to being trodden on.
