Spot the wildlife on the Broads for national survey
Visitors to the Broads are being asked to become wildlife detectives this August and report back, on line, on the wildlife they see.
They are needed to help British Waterways, which cares for 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, with their national Waterway Wildlife Survey via waterscape.com – the online guide to the waterways.
The information will be used by British Waterways to help manage and protect the rich array of waterway wildlife and will be incorporated into the national species database, which records biodiversity on the inland waterways.
Julia Masson, Senior Conservation Officer for the Broads, says: "The Broads is a haven for all sorts of wildlife from birds, fish and mammals to insects, reptiles and amphibians. Families will have great fun spotting all sorts of waterway wildlife including herons, kingfishers, swans, moorhens, mallards, dragonflies, bats, frogs, toads and newts. They may also be lucky enough to see some of the rarer and shyer species including the Norfolk Hawker dragonfly, which is the Broads Authority’s logo, the swallowtail butterfly, otters, water voles, and grass snakes."
Jonathan Brickland, a British Waterways’ ecologist, explains:
"Over half the population lives within five miles of a river so we’d like as many people as possible to visit their local waterway this August, whether by boat, foot or bike and tell us about the wildlife they see there. It’s important to monitor the wildlife that inhabits our waterways, especially those species whose numbers are threatened."
People can visit our website at www.waterscape.com/wildlife for a reporting form and lots of information about enjoying all of Britain’s inland waterways and their wildlife. We’re asking people to enter the details of what they see on our Waterscape.com website, including the name of the river they visited and the exact location. The information, which is important for building our knowledge of waterway wildlife, will be added to our species database. This data will then be available to the National Biodiversity Network, The Wildlife Trusts and other organisations with waterway environment responsibilities.
“We look forward to examining the results this autumn and using the information to help protect and conserve waterway wildlife and their habitats.”
Canals and rivers are now among the country’s most important environmental assets. They provide an ideal habitat and feeding ground for a diverse range of plants and animals. They reach into the heart of most of Britain’s larger towns and cities and often bring a unique cross-section of the countryside right to urban doorsteps for all to enjoy.
11/08/2004
