This project was set up in 2016 as a trial project to help community groups in Devon identify, adopt and manage local verges for the benefit of wildlife and people. They provide a range of habitats and are increasingly important wildlife corridors for threatened species and pollinators. They also provide one of the only opportunities for us to see wildflowers on a daily basis, in towns and villages, as well as in a largely intensively managed countryside. Managing verges to deliver all these benefits is ever-more difficult as local authority management increasingly focuses on road safety needs. The Tarka Country Trust’s “Life on the Verge – Biosphere” project has help community groups in Devon to identify, adopt and manage local verges them for wildlife and community benefit. Community volunteers have been trained in biological recording and to work safely by the roadside. Best-practice guidance and information is available via www.tarkacountrytrust.org.uk to help communities with all they need to know to manage their verges.
