← Nature Connections overview · Open the interactive map
This page explains the evidence used for the Corstorphine Nature Connections map and where interpretation begins. Data snapshot: 23 October 2026. Published on Corstorphine in Bloom: 24 October 2026.
Mapped evidence: what the base layers show
The solid areas and lines come from open mapping records. They show recorded physical features such as parks, woodland, grass, gardens, allotments, school grounds, roads, railways, hedges, walls and fences. The records do not establish habitat quality, current condition, ownership or public access.
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap contributors provide the street, land-cover and boundary-feature geometry. The data were downloaded through the OSM map API in nine adjacent extracts covering the study area.
Relevant ways touching the community council area were retained. Complete relevant multipolygon relations were assembled with their inner rings; incomplete relations were skipped. Some features extend beyond the boundary. The count in the map is a count of mapping records: polygons may overlap and do not represent distinct units of habitat.
© OpenStreetMap contributors. The OSM-derived data are available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL) 1.0.
Community council boundary
The study uses the City of Edinburgh Council’s Corstorphine and Clermiston community council boundary, effective from 28 March 2025. The publisher’s dataset was last edited on 30 July 2025 and was downloaded for this map on 23 October 2026.
Council boundary dataset and query service · Council community council mapping information. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inferred opportunities: what the dashed links mean
The candidate axes were drawn by desktop interpretation between nearby mapped green spaces, streets and neighbourhoods. They are illustrative links to investigate, not a least-cost-path model, a walking route, a surveyed wildlife corridor or an exact planting layout.
No species movement, garden access, flowering continuity or fence permeability has been verified. No universal bee-flight threshold has been applied. A mapped road is evidence of a physical feature; its effect on a particular species is an inference that needs checking.
Garden shapes do not demonstrate a hedgehog highway. The map contains no verified hedgehog population layer, fence-hole inventory or complete tree-canopy dataset. A blank area can reflect missing data rather than an absence of habitat.
Policy and practical guidance
- Edinburgh Nature Network — context for connected habitats, improved verges and community involvement. Its official action polygons have not been imported; local proposals need checking against the Council’s network.
- Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan 2022–2027 — habitat and species context for local projects.
- Buglife B-Lines — flower-rich habitat stepping stones. The official B-Lines layer is not shown, and the amber candidates are not official B-Lines.
- Hedgehog Street: link your garden — guidance on suitable garden openings, including the suggested 13 × 13 cm size. Safe siting and owners’ consent remain essential.
- Corstorphine in Bloom’s library planter report — local evidence of community planting. The map does not contain a complete verified planter inventory.
- Edinburgh Green Spaces Forum policy guide — links to wider Council strategies and standards.
Checking an idea before making changes
- Visit using public routes and record seasonal flowers, shade, cover, mowing, lighting, boundaries and traffic barriers.
- Confirm land ownership, permissions, utilities and maintenance responsibilities.
- Protect pavement access, crossing safety, junction visibility and existing valuable habitats.
- Agree the approach with the relevant land manager, Council officers and local partners. Record a baseline and review the result.
Data downloads
The following files are the map snapshot, rather than live feeds:
- Mapped green areas, gardens, hedges and water (GeoJSON)
- Transport, school grounds, walls and fences (GeoJSON)
- Community council boundary (GeoJSON)
- Eight inferred candidate connections (GeoJSON)
Shortlists and privacy
The interactive map saves your shortlist and field notes only in your browser. They do not sync between devices and are not sent to Corstorphine in Bloom or the map host. Export a copy to keep or share your work; exported files include the notes you have entered.
