Page 6 - Annual Review 2014-15

Joined up thinking

Working in partnership for wildlife and people to thrive

The natural environment provides us After several years of restorative grazing
with services that people need. We rely and hay cutting the National Nature Reserve
on nature to provide us with air quality, flood at Chimney Meadows in the Upper Thames
protection, food production and places that Living Landscape is almost back to its former
help us improve our physical and mental glory. Thanks to funding from the Landfill
well-being. BBOWT is looking at ways to Communities Fund via WREN we completed
communicate the value of our work in terms major infrastructure work at Chimney
of these ‘ecosystem services’ to businesses and Meadows to enable more conservation
government. grazing by our growing herd, and improve
the drainage of these floodplain meadows.
Through work party volunteering, The extraordinary biodiversity of Chimney
attending events and visiting nature reserves Meadows continues to attract landowners
many more people are getting involved with and community groups keen to find out more
all three Living Landscape schemes: in West about restoring arable farmland for wildlife.
Berkshire, the Upper Thames in Oxfordshire
and the Upper River Ray on the Bucks/Oxon Our Meadow Farm site on the Upper
border. Ray Meadows nature reserve, part of the
Ray Valley Restoration Project and Living
Linking the Landscape in West Berkshire Landscape, is now fully operational. A new
is the Heritage Lottery Fund-supported Upper Ray work party and local conservation
project. Highlights include the huge volunteer groups contributed 784 voluntary hours of
involvement of 220 people during 1,600 days conservation, including more than 300 metres
of practical work; positive feedback from of coppicing. Black hairstreak butterflies have
people attending events and courses; and been recorded on this site for the first time.
new popular groups and activities, especially
involving children and young people.

In focus Dukes Lock Pond

At Dukes Lock Pond north of Oxford, BBOWT
secured a Landfill Communities Fund grant
from Grundon Waste Management Ltd via
the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment
(TOE2) to work with the Canal and River
Trust, owners of the site, to restore this
wildlife haven.

Oxfordshire Wildlife Sites Project Officer
Erin Murton explains: “After years of neglect,
the pond’s rich diversity was under threat.
This spring we cut meandering channels in
the reed bed using an amphibious tractor.”

A new interpretation board gives
passers-by on the Oxford Canal information
to help them appreciate Dukes Lock Pond
and its wildlife.

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