Hello Richard,

I was fascinated and very happy to hear about your badger sighting. I live near Camberwell New Cemetery and I am in the final year of my MSc in Environmental Management (Countryside Management / Protected Area Management) at Birkbeck, University of London. For my dissertation I am researching the range / former range of Badgers in the Great North Wood and identifying reasons for their success / decline.

Could you PM me with more information about your sighting, the time and date, where you saw the badger and what direction it came from, went to, and if it went under a fence etc.

I have been surveying the New Cross to Forest Hill rail sides and Sydenham Hill Woods with permission from London Wildlife Trust. I am aware that badgers are vulnerable to human disturbance and prejudice and am willing to be 'creative' with any sensitive information on the current location of setts.

Best,
Andrew Lynch

P.S. Here's my research statement:


I am researching the range / former range of Badgers (Meles meles) in the Great North Wood and identifying reasons for their success / decline. The Great North Wood was a natural oak forest that covered most of the area from Camberwell to Croydon in South East London. The history of the woods is reflected in local place names such as Norwood, Woodside and Forest Hill. Today, some isolated patches of the forest remain, such as Dulwich Upper Wood, Dulwich Woods, Sydenham Hill Woods and Beaulieu Heights in South Norwood. The Great North Wood was once a working woodland and would have supported a large population of badgers. Again, this is reflected in local names such as Brockley and Brockwell - Brocc being the old English name for badger.