Community Habitat Restoration

Throughout the Garnock Connections landscape there are pockets of special habitat that hold some wonderful wildlife. Working together with local community groups, we have protected and enhanced some of these habitats to help create new homes for nature, and ensuring local people can experience some of the wonderful wildlife on their doorstep.

Working with local FRIENDS group at Ardeer Quarry in Stevenston, a combination of our Green Network Trainees, local volunteers and East Ayrshire Woodlands have planted over four thousand trees, creating a new woodland for both people and wildlife. 

Working with Barrmill Conservation Group at Giffenmill Meadows near Barrmill, we have enhanced a section of wetland with new ponds that benefit a wide range of wildlife, including wading birds and amphibians. We have also installed two new dipping platforms at the new Giffenmill wetland ponds, to allow more people to enjoy the wildlife of this beautiful spot.

The final stage of this project is to help protect Stevenston Dunes from erosion by erecting sections of chestnut paling fencing to trap the wind blowen sand and stablise the dunes. We are looking to have this final phase of the project completed by the end of the year.

While these projects are small individually, put together we start to see a larger benefit for wildlife and people in the Garnock Connections landscape. Add these to the other habitat projects within Garnock Connections and we have the beginnings of a whole network of new and improved habitats across the area which will have benefits for years to come. At the core of these projects are the local community groups who work so hard to protect and enhance their natural heritage, without their hard work and commitment none of this would be possible.

This project is also funded through the Green Infrastructure Community Engagement Fund.