BASC has given away enough seeds to plant more than 6,000 square metres of wildflower meadow – a valuable habitat for pollinators and other native wildlife.
More than 12 kg of Green Shoots wildflower seed mix was given away to members of the public by BASC at The Game Fair and Countryfile Live this summer.
Game shoots maintain 25,000 hectares of cover crops*. These provide an important source of food and shelter for songbirds, particularly during the winter. BASC’s seed mix, kindly provided by seed merchants Bright Seeds, is brush-harvested from native wildflower meadows. Once planted, the seeds will add to the area of this valuable habitat which will benefit a range of species.
Dan Reynolds, BASC’s south east England director, said: “Everyone can do their bit for conservation. Whether you are on a 1,000 acre shoot or just have a small window box to plant. The ‘Green Shoots’ wildflower seed will allow everyone to grow and enjoy their own area of wildflowers.
“Not only does the project increase the area of native wildflowers planted across the country, it will also have a knock-on benefit to insect pollinators and other wildlife that use the habitat.
“As well as giving direct biodiversity gain, the seed packets also provide a powerful message about the contribution shooting makes to conservation. Shoot providers spend nearly £250 million on conservation and shooters spend 3.9 million work days on conservation projects annually – the equivalent of 16,000 full-time jobs. Hopefully the wildflowers growing in the garden will be an ongoing reminder of this to those who plant them.”
Robin Marshall-Ball, a member of BASC council and a conservation specialist, said: “Road sides, field margins, domestic gardens and even urban window boxes can all make a contribution to the survival of our bees and other pollinating insects. These seed packets help to produce a species-rich environment, however small, which will contribute to our conservation effort.”
ENDS
*Source: GWCT