Habitat Management Investigation - Case Study Example

HABITAT MANAGEMENT INVESTIGATION (Ecology and Conservations) Since the last two decades huge programs have been launched in London for the purpose ofprotection of the environment and for the conservation of nature. Work has been done in this sector for the purpose of protecting the natural environments and at the same time providing people with proper access to nature and this scheme also has a motive to provide better educational opportunities in the field of ecology and environmental protection as well. The most recent and a very major program was launched by the Mayor of London in 2000 for the protection of natural sites in London and this plan was laid to work in his statutory Biodiversity Strategy which came forward in 2002. In the program three categories were created for the conservation sites in London which included the metropolitan sites, the borough sites and local sites. The metropolitan sites which apart from providing access to people were also sites of international and national importance, the Borough sites were sites created for a particular area and the last category was the local sites which were limited only to a neighborhood. The conservation of the metropolitan sites was given the highest importance because of its greater significance. Many sites in London which were of no ecological importance have also been worked upon and much developmental works have been done for such sites for the conservation of nature and protection of different wildlife as well as plant species.  The ripple nature reserve is one such location in Barking, Dagenham which was previously used as a dumping ground for industrial waste and was of no ecological importance. It was used basically for the dumping of the crushed fuel ash. This site has now undergone transformational changes and it is now categorized as one of the metropolitan conservation site that is site having national importance. This site has now become a habitat for striking species and many different small animals. The ripple nature reserve occupies an area of 10 hectares that is approximately 25 acres and lies along the Barking Riverside that is along the River Thames.  This site was first notified on 19th September 1988. It had not been recognized as a conservation site by the authorities of the greater London council program which lasted from 1982 till 1986. With the abolition of the London Council Program the London Ecology unit became functional which paid great interest to unused railway land and also to industrial dumping sites. It was the work of this unit to identify the Ripple Nature Reserve in 1988 as an important conservation site. Though the establishment of this area had only been done keeping in mind that people belonging to all areas should have proper access to nature but later its ecological importance with regard to the distinct and diverse species of plants and animals was realized as well as its significance on the national level was appreciated. Its boundary was last changed in 2002 by the Greater London Authority which worked under the Mayor of London. The borough of barking and Dagenham was the declaring authority of the ripple nature reserve. This declaration took place in the year 2006. The ripple nature reserve is owned by the national power and borough of barking and Dagenham and it is looked after and managed by the London wildlife trust. The ripple nature reserve was named so because in May and June wave like that is ripples of beautifully highlighted colored orchids and wildflowers can be seen with butterflies, hoverflies and bees flying around them. These make up the main attractions of this metropolitan conservation site. The reserve has open public access and people are allowed to visit the place but it does not have open access for wheelchairs. The ripple nature reserve shows the success of the ecological and nature conserving departments of London because an area which was once a wasteland and was a dumping ground has now become an area of interest being home to hundreds of different wildlife species as well as plant species. It is home to so many wild species that it is sometimes titled and referred to as the rainforest of London. The soil of the reserve is alkaline as compared to the other soils of London which are acidic. The reason for this alkalinity of the soil is the fuel ash which used to be dumped by the industries here previously. This alkalinity of the soil allows the growth of such pant species in the reserve which are very difficult to be grown in other areas of London because of their acidic soil, hence providing this area with different plants species as compared to other places in London. The most prominent and important amongst these rare plants are the pyramidal and southern marsh orchids, grey club rush and wild basil. The ripple nature reserve is a very huge area which lies open. It consists of damp, semi improved, neutral and some drier calcareous grassland and industrial wasteland along with reed bed as well as ruderal. It comprises of secondary woodland with areas of scrub and young birch (Betula sp), mostly the silver birch .the reserve has wet drainage ditches as well.  It also consists of meadows which make for the grazing land for many different animals. Animals grazing on these meadows are a common view which is seen at the ripple nature reserve. The meadows also provide a suitable environment for the six red data book species of invertebrates. This makes the ripple nature reserve very important because these six species are very crucial as they are on the verge of extinction. The land of the ripple nature reserve has undergone many developmental works which have provided many benefits but they also have their drawbacks. This is because these developments have led to the disappearance of few animals which had been of great interest and value. These animals include the grey partridge and the water vole. Among the species which can be seen in great numbers in the ripple nature reserve are those which are commonly seen in other urban nature reserve sites as well so they cannot be counted as being reserved to only this conservation site. These include rabbits and the goldfinches. Apart from the species of plants which were discussed in relation to the alkalinity of the soil there are also many other species which exist in the ripple nature reserve but are rare and unusual in other locations of London. These plants of the reserve make it stand apart from other conservation sites of the capital. The reserve not only has plants which are not seen in London but it also has many distinct species of plants which are not very common nationally. This fact of the reserve relates to its national importance and hence making the site included in the metropolitan category of the conservation sites. The locally uncommon plants include the yellow wort (Blackstonia perfoliata), fenugreek (Trifolium ornithopodioides), vervain (Verbena officinalis), and cotton thistle (Onopordum acanthium). The plants which are rarely seen on a national level include the scarce yellow vetch ling (Lathyrus aphaca) which is seen on the dry grassland, with salt marsh rush (Juncus gerardii), wood small-reed (Calamagrostis epigejos), sea club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus) and grey club rush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) which occur in the wetland surroundings. The ripple nature reserve is known for its orchids. It has a wide variety of orchids which include the pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and a combined range of most often seen southern marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii, D. praetermissa) with their hybrids as well. Apart from having many distinct plant species the ripple nature reserve is house to many other wildlife species as well. These include the invertebrate fauna. As with the plant species these fauna are also rare and there is a huge variety of these which are to be seen in the ripple nature reserve. One of the species which is seen is the scarce emerald damselfly (Lestes dryas). There is a very good representation of the Thames Terrace Assemblage. The avifaunas which are the breeding species of the reserve are also of wide importance because the species occurring in the ripple nature reserve consist of those avifauna which are listed in the high precedence of the UK BAP. Song thrush and the linnet are the two breeding avifauna which lie in this category. Mammals which exist in the reserve are the weasel and also the harvest mouse. The harvest mouse needs to be protected again because this is specie which is also declining in the reserve. Hence measures should be taken so that these mammals are looked after and their extinction from the area is prevented. Smooth newt, grass snake and slow worm are the reptiles which exist in the environment. The ripple nature reserve also has a small area of the Barking Pulverized Fly Ash (PFA) Lagoons converged with it. The barking pulverized fly ash lagoons unlike the ripple nature reserve was not protected. They were also known to consist of a variety of species and environments but not much developmental work took place in the region. In 1990 there were indications of fauna as there was a small number of aculeate Hymenoptera spotted. The existence of the fauna was confirmed in 1996. In 1998 it was seen that there was a whole grouping of fauna of national importance but not much was done to save the area because many plans had already been made with regard to the location. It had an internationally important existing bee known as the Colletes halophilus. This entire habitat was destroyed leaving no signs of the specie even for its DNA testing. In 2000 much of the location was destroyed and a part of it was added to the ripple nature reserve. The wide variety of fauna and invertebrates which exist in the ripple nature reserve might also be because of the converging of the Barking Pulverized Fly Ash (PFA) Lagoons with the reserve thus increasing the pool of the fauna in the environment. Following is a map of the Ripple Nature Reserve Walk Much has been done for the protection of this important metropolitan site in London because of its great importance. The first newsletter of the RAIL LINK COUNTRYSIDE INITIATIVE in November 2000 showed the sum of money which was granted by the government for this reserve. A grant of two thousand two hundred and fifty pounds was given to the London Wildlife trust so that a survey could be carried out in the reserve to show the species which exist in the reserve.  The survey was to check for all the species which existed in the reserve and its adjoining areas. It was also to provide reports as to how the species which were endangered could be protected and prevented from becoming extinct. Thus the survey was to enable the London Wildlife trust to have closer look at the invertebrate species of the ripple nature reserve and to take future steps and decisions which would suit the environment and habitat of the area. The wildlife trust was to especially consider the threatened species and created habitats for them as well as those species which were affected by the developmental work going on in the area.     In winter/ spring 2001 a survey was carried out by the Rail Link Countryside Initiative in the ripple nature reserve by the wild London. The survey was carried out to check for the wildlife species of this very important metropolitan conservation site as it holds both national and international importance. The survey was basically conducted so that the total number of wildlife species in the region could be calculated and put forward and at the same time authorities could be provided with information so that they would get to know that which species required special attention. In the survey it was revealed that the ripple nature reserve was home to a huge variety of invertebrates which were distinct with some of them only to be seen in the reserve. Four hundred and eighty five different species were found showing that industrial wasteland sites were of utmost importance to the conservation of wildlife so they should be properly looked after. Six insects were included amongst these species which were included in the British red data books as being endangered specie in the country (Standen, 2003). The survey was carried out to assist the management authorities of the ripple nature reserve that is the London wildlife trust so that they should get to know about the wide range of species which are seen in the reserve as well as to give proper importance to those species which are threatened and endangered. Much work has been done for the conservation of nature in the ripple nature reserve but more needs to be done. If all this work and realization of the importance of nature would have been realized earlier many species which have gone extinct could have been saved. Another important factor which needs to be stated here is that when developmental work is started the environment and all the ecological aspects of the area should be considered. Such development and negligence led to the extinction of the water vole and the grey partridge from the ripple nature reserve. More funds should be allocated for the area for not only developmental work but also at the same time for surveys to be carried out. Surveys are very important in the progress of the area because a survey not only puts forward the existing conditions of the reserve but it also highlights many shortcomings of the area. The survey which was carried out in 2001 by the rail link countryside was also very important. In a similar manner more surveys should be carried out every year so that the report can be compared with the survey report of the previous year to know if there has been betterment of the reserve or whether other species in the reserve are becoming endangered. The management should also carefully review the survey to know about the prevailing conditions of the reserve. The London Wildlife trust should also be very careful when carrying out expansion and improvement in the area keeping in view all the wildlife and plant species existing in the area so that they can be protected while the work is being done. The extinction of the grey partridge and the water vole should set an example for the authorities to be very careful while promoting progress in the reserve. The ripple nature reserve has species of national importance in it and they should be protected. Breeding grounds should be created for species specially the endangered ones for their protection such as the six insects which are included in the endangered species in the British red data book. The ripple nature reserve has four hundred and eighty five different species. Ecological units should be created within the reserve or in close vicinity of the reserve. Such ecological units should be concerned with researches and studies on the different species which exist in the reserve (Stubbs, 1987). These units should also work upon the geographical conditions of the area researching upon the soil and the environmental conditions. The ecological unit should devise and propose methods with which the reserve pool of animals and plants can be increased. These units should also provide educational opportunities to those interested. The ripple nature reserve has open public access but more public facilities should be increased. Wheel chair access is available but for that the project manager has to be informed first and then arrangements are made. In this regard the reserve should increase its services to the public so that they can easily go to the reserve whenever needed and the wheelchairs should be easily available. Species which have become extinct in the area should also be worked upon. DNA tests should be performed on such species to keep them in record for increasing the information regarding these. Species which have disappeared from the reserve but exist in other conservation sites of London should Be researched upon and the information regarding these species should be passed upon to other conservation sites so that they might be saved. If possible these species should be moved in the ripple nature reserve so that they again be increased in the reserve.  For the betterment of all the conservation sites in London all these sites should have proper connections so that they can share all possible information with each other which might be beneficial for the other site. This will not only lead to the improvement of the ripple nature reserve but also the other conservation sites in London. The ripple nature reserve is a site of the metropolitan category according to the Mayor’s Biodiversity Strategy. Hence it is an area which is not only of local importance but it is a conservation site which is important on a national level as well as international level. It is home to a large number of wildlife as well as plant species. Thus this reserve should be looked after and it should be provided with greater importance.  No doubt work has been done for the reserve but more work and developmental efforts should be made for the reserve. Bibliography: http://wildweb.london.gov.uk/ STANDEN, D. (2003). CHANNEL TUNNEL RAIL LINK: COBHAM ASHENBANK MANAGEMENT SCHEME AND RAIL LINK COUNTRYSIDE INITIATIVE. PROCEEDINGS- INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS CIVIL ENGINEERING. 156, 59-64. STUBBS, D. (1987). Sites of nature conservation interest: an ecological survey of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. [S.l.], The London Wildlife Trust for the Council of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Read More