Wildlife & Conservation
We actively protect, conserve & enhance natural habitat & follow organic, wildlife-friendly farming practices.
Smiling Tree welcomes wildlife - birds, bats, bees, beetles and bugs galore!
We provide havens and hunting grounds in many forms: every area of the farm is wildlife-friendly and we have dedicated wildlife zones that we rarely interfere with, such as the shelter-belts, deep hedgerows and riparian areas. In other fantastic wildlife refuges, like the forest garden, we and nature work hand-in-hand.
Riparian Zones
A riparian zone is the strips of land along the banks of a watercourse, from the largest rivers of the world to the smallest of streams. It is the interface between water and land, the green ribbon of life alongside the water's edge.
One of the fifteen designated terrestrial biomes of the earth, a riparian zone is an incredibly important and highly specialised ecosystem. A healthy riparian zone is made up of native vegetation comprising grasses, flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees. It acts as a source of energy and nutrients for stream communities. It provides shade and shelter, and keeps rivers and streams cool.
It also provides a unique habitat for wildlife and an important corridor for larger animals travelling through.
Not only are riparian zones essential habitats for the specialist flora and fauna that thrive there, but they also act as a buffer between land further up the catchment area and the watercourse itself.
Riparian zones slow floodwater and filter rainwater running off the land, preventing sediment, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and other pollutants reaching the water. So a healthy riparian buffer is essential for a healthy waterway.
At Smiling Tree we are fortunate to have a bubbling brook running through the middle of the farm with a thriving riparian zone on both banks. We have protected this area which, along with our shelter belts, provides a broad, deeply vegetative wildlife corridor through the middle of the farm.