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Wildlife corridors are vegetated linear spaces that connect areas of green space; they can be hedgerows, disused railways lines, water courses or woodland strips. These features are important for plant and animal species conservation as they allow their movement between areas – extending their feeding and breeding range. They also provide valuable accessible green space for people as linear routes allow people the opportunity to find solitude from urban living and provide safe and attractive routes for walking and cycling within the city and out to the surrounding countryside. At Currie High Roley’s Wood provides a valuable green link from Currie Station up into the Pentland Hills, whilst providing a safe haven for local wildlife. In 1998 the wildlife corridor at Currie High was extended around the perimeter of the school grounds by the creation of new woodland. This work was co-ordinated by the Edinburgh Urban Forest Project, whose aim is to create community woodlands across the city through community planting projects, with funding from the Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust. At Currie High pupils and conservation volunteers planted 3000 native Scottish trees, including oak, rowan, ash and willow. As these trees establish and mature – a valuable
extension to Roley’s Wood has been created which will allow birds, other animals and plants to move freely.
As well as extending the wildlife corridor the new woodland also greatly increases the biological diversity of the site, which was previously dominated by grassed areas. The planting of native spring bulbs (bluebell, snowdrop and wood anemone) also enhances this change. Finally, the trees also provide valuable shelter to the playing fields and add visual diversity to the site.
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