Nature - What We Do
We manage a range of green spaces to protect and improve them for nature. We also work to ensure that nature-rich places are better protected and connected so that nature can recover in greater Cambridge.
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and Cambridgeshire is one of the most nature-depleted places in the UK
Only around 8% of the area as habitat (the average for the UK is 16%). Scientific data tells us that much of nature is in severe long-term decline. Cambridge is set to grow rapidly and we know that we must act now to help grow nature too. On this page you can read about our nature conservation work, for information about the wildlife found in our green spaces please go to the parks and buildings section.
Nature & Ecology
Managing for nature at Wandlebury Country Park
This 110 acre site is designated as a County Wildlife Site and is important for its chalk meadows and mature woodland. The Park also has a traditional orchard, a pond and hedgerows which all add to the biodiversity of the site, as do some of the historic buildings and structures, which are home to roosting bats. Important species include Perennial Flax, White Helleborine, Daubenton’s Bat and Slow-worm.
We manage the chalk meadows in a variety of ways, including grazing with cattle and sheep, through cutting and removing hay and by leaving areas unmanaged each year. Our meadow management is supported by a Higher Level Countryside Stewardship grant from Natural England.
Wandlebury has a wide diversity of tree species and woodland types, from magnificent mature beech trees to newly planted oaks. We retain standing deadwood for wildlife when it is safe to do so and ensure that there is plenty of lying deadwood.
We carry out coppicing in order to increase the biodiversity within our woodlands.
Our overall aim is to have a healthy and safe woodland that supports a wide range of woodland species and is resilient to climate change and disease.
We have created a wildlife station with small ponds and we put out bird feed between Oct-March. We have installed a range of bird nesting and bat roost boxes around the park.
Wandlebury is an important historic and archaeological site which is designated as a Scheduled Monument and has many listed buildings and structures. We try and strike a balance between conserving the historic and the natural heritage of the site.
Managing for nature at Coton Countryside Reserve
In 2004 we began an ambitious long-term project for a new 300-acre Coton Countryside Reserve on the western edge of Cambridge, which combines nature, public access and a working farm. So far we have planted over 10,000 trees and shrubs, created new ponds and meadows and planted two new orchards.
The farmland on the Reserve is managed by our tenant farmer to provide habitats for wildlife,
such as field margins and Skylark plots. This work is supported through agricultural subsidies.
Our vision for Coton Countryside Reserve is to create a nature rich landscape, with an abundance of wildlife, colour and sound, where common species thrive, and rarer species can recover. At its heart will be a large new nature reserve, where the land will provide wider environmental benefits such as reducing flood risk, climate change mitigation and fostering the wellbeing of the Cambridge community.
Meadows will be a riot of colourful plants and buzzing with insects; hedgerows, scrub and woodlands will be full of bird song; and streams and ponds will throng with life. Read more about our vision here https://cambridgeppf.org/a-vision-for-coton-reserve/
A Wilder Coton
Find out how you can be part of helping to create a wilder future in Cambridge for wildlife and everyone in the city to enjoy.
Managing for nature at Barnwell Meadows
Barnwell Junction Pastures (also known as Barnwell Meadows) City Wildlife Site, is adjacent to the historic Leper Chapel and was the site of the medieval Stourbridge Fair. The 4 acres of meadows support a range of neutral grassland plant and invertebrate species, including a good population of Yellow Meadow Ant. Coldham’s Brook flows along the side of the meadows supporting aquatic species including Water Vole and occasionally Kingfisher. There are smaller areas of woodland and scrub.
The Meadows were leased for around 60 years and most recently used for horse pasture, as a result they were not in good ecological condition. As part of a new Chisholm Trail project, in 2018 we took back the management
of the meadows and we are working to enhance their biodiversity. Since then we have planted 300m of new hedge, installed bird boxes and re-instigated meadow management (grazing with livestock). The Chisholm Trail runs through the meadows.
Managing for nature at Grantchester Meadows
In 2025 we took on the management of Grantchester Meadows. We will be working with stakeholders and the local community to identify opportunities to improve the meadows for nature. The land on the eastern side of the river is private but is being managed by the landowner to benefit nature, for example by creating a marshland area.
Managing for nature at Tebbitts Wood
Thanks to a generous donation in 2024, CambridgePPF is the owner of a small wood near to Little Shelford. It is 4 acres in size (2 football pitches) and is a mixture of native and non-native trees, with a small open area of grass. It has no public access and is next to some other areas of similar habitat, which means it has potential to be a local refuge for wildlife. We will work to improve the quality of the habitat, for example by allowing native tree species to dominate.
Managing for nature at Stocking Toft, Balsham
This small wood was gifted to us in 2000 and has been planted with native trees and shrubs. We are allowing the woodland to develop and mature as a small wildlife sanctuary. It is connected by hedgerows to Balsham Wood SSSI and we hope that some of the woodland species from there, such as Purple Hairstreak Butterfly, will eventually colonise our new wood.
Other sites
We also manage a number of other small sites in the area which have an ecological value, such as linear woodland at Comberton and a short stretch of the River Cam at Hinxton Watermill, where Kingfishers are often seen hunting small trout.
Ecological Monitoring for Biodiversity and Long-term Environmental Management (EMBLEM Project)
Our EMBLEM Project was started in 2016 to carry out long-term ecological monitoring of our sites in order to inform our conservation management work, enhance biodiversity and increase ecological resilience.
This involves working collaboratively with expert ecological recording groups and individual volunteers to record the species using our sites and monitor their changes over time, including in response to our habitat management and conservation work. Groups we have worked with include Cambridgeshire Bat Group, Cambridge University and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Reptile & Amphibian Group.
Volunteers carry out regular surveys for moths, bats, butterflies, slow worms and chalk grassland plants as well as spot surveys for other species. The project also aims to improve the ecological skills of our Estate Team and volunteers through training and shared learning.
We need more volunteers to get involved in the project, if you are an amateur or professional looking to volunteer your expertise, please get in touch at ecology@cambridgeppf.org
We have been grateful to receive small grants from Cambridge Water (Pebble Fund), People’s Postcode Lottery and a private charitable trust to help towards some of the costs of our EMBLEM project. You can follow our ecology and nature conservation work via our dedicated twitter feed @CamPPFnature or WandleburyWarden Instagram
Cambridge Nature Network
Since 2018 Cambridge Past, Present & Future has been working with the Wildlife Trust BCN and other organisations to create a nature recovery network for the Cambridge area, which we have called the Cambridge Nature Network.
The Cambridge Nature Network includes the best of the remaining habitats within 10km of the city and it identifies the best opportunities and locations for creating new habitats. Our vision is for the Cambridge area to have significant areas of downland, fens, meadows and woodlands, where nature can recover and thrive and where people can experience a wilder countryside and nature on their doorstep.
This will be achieved over many decades through the ongoing delivery of new projects which will create new or better habitats for nature.
The range of organisations and people involved in these projects is really inspiring and includes local charities, local authorities, community groups, local landowners and farmers, universities and colleges, schools, contractors and individual people helping to plant trees and sow seeds.
Projects range in scope and scale from the large-scale conversion of farmland to small community projects.
Collectively these projects and the efforts of those involved will make a difference over time.
Find out more about the Cambridge Nature Network below.
Habitat Bank
We have created a Biodiversity Net Gain habitat bank at Coton Reserve, on the western edge of Cambridge. We are creating a range of new habitats including woodland, scrub, meadow and wetland.
Click below for a brochure about our BNG credits, which details what credits we are selling, prices and arrangements. Or alternatively please email ceo@cambridgeppf.org or call 01223 243830
For many decades the English planning system has included a process whereby ecological damage caused by a development can be counteracted by creating positive ecological outcomes nearby, either elsewhere on the development site, or off-site. This system had mixed success.
Since January 2024 it has become a legal requirement that new development must deliver a net gain for nature. This is known as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and it is achieved by creating new habitats, for example planting a new woodland or sowing a wildflower meadow. The idea of BNG is that a new development has a measurably positive impact (‘net gain’) on biodiversity, compared to what was there before development.
Developers must deliver a BNG of at least 10% but organisations like ours are pressing for this to be higher.
Often developers will be able to provide the BNG required within their own development or on land they own. However, when this is not possible, developers can buy into habitat creation carried out by other landowners.
For Cambridge Past, Present & Future this presents a source of financing that would enable us to scale up our work to benefit nature and public well-being at Coton Reserve.
It is important to us that new development does result in genuinely additional and permanent gains in biodiversity to support nature’s recovery. We also want to ensure that our habitat bank work is transparent and ensure a diligent approach when selling biodiversity units. You can read our full BNG Policy (click here), which sets out how this will be achieved.
We will continue to oppose harmful development proposals and any offer to buy BNG from CambridgePPF will not remove any objection that we may have to a particular development.