The Wild Side of Sidmouth

Before one can understand the natural history of an area it is necessary first to be aware of the natural environment in a wider context. This means understanding the effects of the local geology and how it can influence the kind of habitats that might occur. Then a knowledge of the characteristics of each habitat type is useful as well as how animals and plants find their niche in their preferred environment.

'Sites of natural interest' can provide a diverse array of benefits to the local ecosystem but, equally, they can face many challenges, especially those in built up areas. This thread pursues this thought and examines the strengths and weakness, threats and opportunities to sites in the Sidmouth area. These case studies demonstrate how sites almost anywhere are needed but under pressure.

For purposes of the Sidmouth Nature project fifty 'sites of natural interest' were identified for close inspection and many of these were close enough to each other to be considered part of a 'Biodiversity Network'. In this topic each of the six 'Biodiversity Network' clusters of sites are reviewed to see how each individually contributes to a bigger picture together.

Life on planet Earth is complex!  However, when analysed, there are just four dominant types of life that the keen observer of nature will encounter in the 'field; tetrapoid and anthropoid animals, and angiosperm and cryptogam plants. Difficult terms but easy to understand at the highest level and this topic has a thread for each that will help clarify these 'phylum' categories. A basic understanding lays the foundation for identifying most creatures and organisms that one will encounter.

Fifty sites of natural interest from around the Sidmouth area are featured in some detail on this website. This page has a full list of them and you can click on any site name in the index and see the information available for it.