Wildlife at Ryton Pools Country Park to be given a boost thanks to grant

Awarded through the ‘Natural Highways & Homes’ project, the majority of the grant will be spent on improving pond edges at Ryton Pools.

Due to historic excavation at this former industrial site, the pond margins are not currently suitable for wildlife and nature.

This project aims to bring pollinators and native wetland plants to the area. This will be done by installing 240 meters of coconut matted material, pre-planted with vegetation, over the next two years.

The funding, as part of the National Highways’ Network for Nature programme, will also allow the creation of 200m of hedgerows to improve the habitat of a variety of species of invertebrates and small mammals, as well as providing a boost for farmland bird populations such as Yellowhammer, Linnet and Reed Bunting.

The project will also create a marshy area on the edge of a meadow at Ryton Pools, providing a habitat currently not present at the site.

The meadow has the potential to support nectar-rich, native wetland plants, which will provide a source of nectar for pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies.

The new wetland will also benefit to breeding dragonflies and damselflies.

Ben Coleman, specialist habitat ranger for Warwickshire Country Parks, said: “We are very grateful to our partners at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Dunsmore Living Landscape team for securing this important funding on our behalf.

“The planned projects not only increase carbon capture, but also provide a welcome boost for biodiversity across the site at Ryton Pools, with pond margins and meadows benefitting from a wider range of plants.

"This will provide the perfect environment to attract pollinators and insects, with associated benefits for wildlife further up the food chain.”

Lucy Hawker, Dunsmore Living Landscape scheme manager at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said: “At a time when our wildlife is under so much threat from climate change and habitat loss, we are extremely pleased to receive this funding from National Highways. It’s great to be building on past achievements with existing partners.”