Political Influences

Ten practical activities focusing on observation, comparison, and analysis of habitat types:

• 1. Map a Riparian Corridor on Foot

Walk the length of the River Sid from its headwaters down to the sea outlet along The Byes. Note where natural flood management features, gravel bars, weirs, and bank stabilization efforts interact with urban drainage.

• 2. Conduct a Shifting Baseline Oral History Survey 

Interview long-time residents, anglers, or farmers about historic wildlife numbers, seasonal insect abundance, and winter storm impacts to compare living memory against current ecological baselines.

• 3. Review a Local Planning Application for BNG Compliance 

Access public planning portal documents for a local development to see how Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metrics, ecological surveys, and mitigation hierarchies are applied in practice.

• 4. Trace Catchment Runoff During Heavy Rainfall 

Safely explore public footpaths along the valley's steep slopes during a wet period to observe how surface runoff, soil compaction, and field drains funnel water toward low-lying residential areas.

• 5. Participate in a Citizen Science BioBlitz or River Sampling

Join a community-led water quality testing session or seasonal species-recording day to learn biological indicator species (such as freshwater invertebrates or indicator flora) that signal ecosystem health.

• 6. Audit Coastal Defences Along Cliff Boundaries 

Examine the physical interface where hard engineered sea walls meet crumbling soft Triassic sandstone cliffs, observing the trade-offs between cliff erosion management and beach pebble replenishment.

• 7. Compare Manicured vs. "Wilded" Public Spaces 

Survey a formal municipal garden and a nearby semi-natural greenspace, documenting differences in plant diversity, pollinator activity, soil cover, and public signage explaining mowing regimes.

• 8. Shadow a Practical Habitat Management Work Party

Volunteer for a day of practical scrub clearing, invasive species removal (such as Himalayan balsam), or hedge-laying to see how active management prevents ecological succession from dominating open habitats.

• 9. Field-Check Farmland Boundary Networks 

Walk public rights-of-way across local agricultural land to observe field margins, hedgerow connectivity, and buffer zones, identifying how modern farming schemes create wildlife corridors across farmed landscapes.

• 10. Evaluate Eco-Tourism Signage and Footpath Erosion 

Walk popular sections of the South West Coast Path to audit visitor management strategies, examining how signage, fencing, and path resurfacing balance public access with fragile clifftop habitat preservation.