Environment
About Countrycare
Our aim is to maintain and enhance the natural environment for the benefit of both local people and wildlife. This is achieved by creating and maintaining habitats, improving public access and increasing awareness of our rural heritage.
Countrycare is committed to community involvement for adults and children to help raise awareness of ecological and conservation issues in the district. This is achieved by holding weekly conservation project days, running research projects and hosting walks and events.
Countryside management service
Epping Forest Countycare is Epping Forest District Council’s award-winning countryside management service. It is the key resource for advice, information and practical assistance on the countryside, nature conservation and wildlife law. Countycare undertakes a wide variety of community-based activities and coordinates a regular programme of practical conservation work.
From coppicing trees to planting new ones, from dredging ponds to creating new ones, from planting a hedge to laying it, building countryside furniture, path maintenance and habitat creation, Countrycare and its happy band of volunteers gets stuck in.
Countrycare enables children to discover the countryside and learn about their environment and holds regular events to help raise awareness and inform the community. Because of this Countrycare has been awarded Living Landscapes awards by the Essex Wildlife Trust in both 2012 and 2013 which reflects how the Service is ‘good for wildlife, good for people and the community and good for the local economy’.
Our aim is to maintain and enhance the natural environment for the benefit of both local people and wildlife. This is achieved by creating and maintaining habitats, improving public access and increasing awareness of our rural heritage.
Countrycare’s key objectives:
- To preserve the landscape, wildlife habitats and biodiversity value of the district
- To promote and support the designation of new local nature reserves and the local wildlife site network across the district
- To involve and educate local communities and schools in all aspects of the service’s work
- To promote a greater understanding and respect for the countryside