Project Status: In Progress.
Delivery Partners/Stakeholders: London Wildlife Trust, ZSL, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Thames21, LEHART
Delivering training events.
âEnvironment Skills and Trainingâ will provide a wide range of training for those implementing the Scheme and help local people to increase their understanding of the natural elements of Land of the Fanns. It will also provide them with the knowledge and skills to participate in the Scheme and to help conserve, care for and celebrate it. The project will be open to all and marketed via partners and Land of the Fanns communications channels.
Key themes for training are identified here along with possible courses that would aid understanding and the conservation of the heritage. However, the exact courses to be delivered may change during delivery in reaction to the needs of people or the heritage.
Landscape
The skills and training audit clearly identified that there was a need to create a much better understanding of the landscape as a whole; its geology, landform, history, ecology and culture. This training needs to be bespoke to the Scheme and therefore will be developed as an âIntroduction to the Landscape of the Land of the Fannsâ by the Land of the Fanns Delivery Team. This course will also act as a sign post to other landscape course within the Land of the Fanns training programme
- Introduction to the Landscape of the Land of the Fanns
Understanding and Recording Natural Heritage
Courses will focus on providing people with the skills to identify different groups and species, providing an understanding of their ecology, their requirements and how to manage habitats to benefit them. They will also introduce people to different recording techniques to encourage them, as citizen scientists to gather, share and use local environmental information. This training will cover:
- Landscape origins: Geology, geomorphology and fossils
- Landscape Ecology
- Identifying small mammals
- Amphibian and reptile ecology
- Wetland ecology
- Invertebrate ecology
- Biological Recording for Indicator Species.
Management of Natural Heritage Assets
Training will be provided in approaches that have been developed to manage and protect natural heritage assets providing people with the skills and knowledge to participate in some of the exciting initiatives that the Scheme is promoting.Principle among these will be:
- River restoration
- Grassland Management
- Woodland Management
- Traditional farming practices
- Managing the Fen
Natural heritage skills
Courses will be provided in practical skills that are used to manage the landscape. They will not only provide people with the necessary skills but give them an understanding of the cultural and historical importance of the skills they are learning. This training will cover:
- Hedge laying
- Charcoal making
- Green woodworking
- Footpath construction and maintenance
- Chainsaw and brush cutter use
Creative skills
Courses will provide people with an understanding of the different ways the landscape can be interpreted. They will explore the relationship between people and the landscape, giving individuals the confidence to express their feelings towards the landscape through creative media. Courses could include:
- Creative writing and poetry
- Photography
- Interpreting the landscape through art
