The conservation charity Plantlife has announced that over 70% of local authorities and their contractors are now managing their road verges for nature, using road verge guidance it has published.

The Plantlife Road Verge Hub sets out how road verges can be wildlife havens, supporting green recovery. The focus of the guidance is on cutting grassland verges “less and later” as a way of achieving multiple benefits – improving biodiversity, reducing carbon emissions and costs.

The Hub provides written guides, as well as case studies, webinars and a free online course, and will be of interest to professionals across the road sector who are responsible for grassland verge management and maintenance.

The Plantlife Road Verge Hub was created thanks to a grant from the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund.  The Road Verge Hub provides free resources for professionals looking for expert guidance and training on sustainable grassland verge management.

Chairman of the Trustees of Rees Jeffreys Road Fund David Tarrant said, “At Rees Jeffreys Road Fund we believe roads really matter to all of us, whether we’re making journeys as drivers, passengers, pedestrians or cyclists.   We’re delighted to be able to support the creation of The Road Verge Hub by Plantlife. This project very much fits with the Fund’s ambitions to foster improvements in how we manage and use roads to deliver safer, more environmentally sensitive, more sustainable and more enjoyable outcomes for all road users.”

(Picture – Plantlife)