Unlike traditional nature reserves with fixed boundaries, a Community Nature Reserve is created from individual gardens spread across a town or neighbourhood. Each participating garden becomes a small but important part of a much larger network, helping to form wildlife corridors that allow birds, insects, and other animals to move safely between habitats.
This approach recognises the enormous collective potential of our outdoor spaces. In the UK, private gardens together cover a greater area than all the country’s nature reserves combined—representing a vast opportunity for boosting nature right on our doorsteps.
By making even small, wildlife‑friendly changes, each of us can contribute to a connected mosaic of habitats that supports biodiversity where we live. Little actions in many places can add up to a meaningful, landscape‑scale impact.
Emersons Green Town Council established the Community Nature Reserve in January 2023 to cover the whole town council area, including Blackhorse, Lyde Green and parts of Mangotsfield. The nature reserve includes both private gardens and land under local authority control.
Everyone who manages a garden with wildlife in mind is invited to say what they are doing and register their patch of land as part of the nature reserve.
Click Here to read our Foundation Document
Frequently Asked Questions – Click Here
Emersons Green Town Council are honoured to receive the BEE BOLD award for the Community Nature Reserve. This recognition is not only a reflection of our efforts but also of the incredible support from all the volunteers involved, whose dedication and hard work make an invaluable difference in our community every day.
You can read more here,
Bee Bold Awards
INaturalist
We’re excited to let you know that we’ve launched a new project using iNaturalist to help record and monitor the wild plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife found across the Parish.
iNaturalist is a simple and accessible website or app that allows anyone to upload wildlife sightings, share photos, and contribute to building a clearer picture of the biodiversity in our area. Every observation—big or small—helps us better understand, protect, and celebrate the nature on our doorstep.
We would love for you to get involved by:
- Recording any wildlife you spot while out and about.
- Uploading photos or notes directly into the iNaturalist app or website.
- Explore discoveries made by other members of the community.
Together, we can create a rich, community‑powered record of the species that call our our area home.
Emersons Green Community Nature Reserve · iNaturalist United Kingdom