Conservationists transforming local landscape to boost wildlife in Cheshire

Conservationists transforming local landscape to boost wildlife in Cheshire - BIAZA

One year after Chester Zoo was given a near £1m grant from the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund to create and connect wildlife habitats across the city of Chester, conservationists have revealed major progress in their efforts to recover local biodiversity.

The ambitious ‘Nature Recovery Corridor’ scheme - a partnership between a host of organisations including the zoo, Cheshire West & Chester Council, the Canal & River Trust, Sustrans, the Land Trust and Cheshire West Communities Together – is aiming to restore wildlife-rich habitats between Chester and Ellesmere Port and contribute to the recovery of declining species in need of urgent help.

A number of local schools and community volunteers are involved and taking conservation action as part of the project, which gives disadvantaged groups the opportunity to gain better access to nature.

Now, 12 months since being awarded funding to for the project, the team of conservationists heading up efforts to boost wildlife in and around Chester has revealed a number of highlights. Among them:

More than 23 hectares of meadow and long grass habitat, which provides essential habitat for pollinators has been established.
2.5 hectares of canal has been cleared from the invasive plant floating pennywort, making the canal safer and more biodiverse, allowing an array of native wildlife such as otters and kingfishers to thrive.
250m of wetland has been created to provide habitat for secretive birds such as snipe and water rail.
Reedbeds have been brought under sensitive management, enhancing nesting opportunity for migrant birds such as grasshopper and reed warblers.
New pond areas have been created to help aquatic life, including frogs, toads, newts and dragonflies, as well as providing a water source for mammals such as foxes and badgers.
Hedgerows have been restored, providing nectar in the spring for bees and berries in the winter for birds.
30 native apple and pear trees have been planted to form a new orchard, providing vital new habitat.
In addition to these habitat improvements, community groups, schools and community leaders have been taking conservation action across the city including planting for pollinators, creating bog gardens, wildflower areas and bug hotels and installing ponds and bird boxes.

Helen Bradshaw, a UK wildlife conservation expert at Chester Zoo, is leading on a scientific project to monitor and research the new habitats as they’re being created. She said: “We’re on a mission to create new spaces for our amazing native wildlife to thrive here in Cheshire and our journey to transform this huge stretch of land between Chester and Ellesmere Port is now well underway.”