Wildlife
Camden is home to wildlife sites managed by different organisations, including:
- Hampstead Heath
- Regents Park
- Regents Canal
- Camley Street Natural Park
- Westbere Copse
- Belsize Wood
- Adelaide Local Nature Reserve
There are also smaller local wildlife sites with habitat features such as ponds, orchards, wildflower meadows and woodland copses.
A diverse range of species make Camden their home. This wealth of wildlife includes widespread species seen in our parks or along the Canal, such as blackbirds or moorhens, but also more specialist species such as peregrine falcons, which nest on tall buildings which mimic their countryside cliff-top sites. At least nine species of bat, all of which are afforded legal protection, have been recorded in the Borough, as has a variety of insects, including impressive stag beetles and butterflies of conservation concern. The Borough also supports an important population of hedgehogs, a species that has declined by a third in urban areas. Gardens and parks – and the connections between them – are vital for this species.
Habitats vary across the Borough. Of habitat types recorded by Greenspace Information for Greater London, amenity grassland is the most prevalent habitat and is widely distributed across Camden. Woodland is the second most prevalent habitat and supports a wide range of wildlife. However, our woodland is mainly in the north of the borough and is not readily accessible to all Camden residents. Camden also has habitats that are considered nationally important, including both acid grassland and heathland, also in the north of the Borough.