Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have delivered a large-scale habitat creation project at Hilfield Park Reservoir Nature Reserve, working in partnership with site owners and project funders, Affinity Water.

The reserve is managed by the Trust and is an important haven for wildlife close to urban areas and some of our biggest road networks, situated between Elstree and Bushey, Hertfordshire.

The extensive works, which started last November, form part of the Trust's conservation management plan to improve wetland margins on the site and took over a year of planning. This is one of many habitat enhancement projects across the wildlife charity's 42 nature reserves in the region, but stands out as the most significant habitat creation project on a nature reserve the Trust has managed in over ten years. The works come at a crucial point in the nature and climate crisis, when the State of Nature 2023 report cited that one in six species is at risk of extinction in the UK, and that losses of insects, fish and plants can trigger reactions affecting other species in the food chain.

The creation of new wetland habitats is especially important in Hertfordshire - Hertfordshire’s State of Nature report (2020) showed that wetlands cover less than 1% of the total county area, - and this project is also contributing towards to the county-wide target of securing 30% of land for nature by 2030.

Josh Kalms, People and Wildlife Officer (Affinity Water Sites) at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust says:

“Conservation projects such as this provide hope for the future. Hilfield Park Reservoir Nature Reserve is an undisturbed wetland site that is hugely valuable for local and visiting wildlife. In partnership with Affinity Water, since 2018, we have delivered a suite of ambitious conservation projects on the site, including the creation and maintenance of scrapes, ditches, creeks and lagoons and the recent works have further enhanced its value to wildlife. This project really highlights the importance of partnerships in creating and conserving nature rich, resilient habitats, and with that, our knowledge and the support of our many volunteers, we can make headway in reversing the gloomy nature statistics.

“The landscaping work undertaken has been extensive. We’ve reshaped the ground to allow bigger, better and more connected reedbeds to form, created vast lengths of all-important shallow margins, formed lagoons, pushed overshading and invasive trees into the water to create ample submerged woody habitat, and have pollarded trees to generate supercharged sunlit reservoir margins - all these are important features for wetland systems to ecologically function.

“Following the success of previous habitat creation on site, we know that these wetlands will deliver in abundance for local wildlife. This project has transformed this area, creating a better connected, rare and diverse suite of habitats where wildlife will thrive.”

Alex Sage, Biodiversity Project Manager at Affinity Water says:

“We have a fantastic working relationship with HMWT and the sites that we manage in partnership are all the better for it. We have seen significant changes over the years at Hilfield as a direct result of new management techniques, including increased numbers and species of dragonfly and the re-emergence of nationally threatened plant species, Needle Spike-Rush, which hasn’t been recorded on the site in over 40 years.”

“Josh and the team have worked tirelessly to create this extensive area of wetland and we are so excited to see what species will establish and be recorded by our local volunteers. The knowledge, monitoring and volunteer effort provided by HMWT members is invaluable to us as we use it to create and implement locally important management plans.”

“Hilfield Park Reservoir is just one example of several our sites that we actively manage for biodiversity enhancement, as part of our commitment to protect and enhance our local environment for current and future generations.”

Hilfield Park Reservoir Nature Reserve is the only site in the south of England where Black Necked Grebes breed and home to more than 1% of the national breeding population. It is a receptor site for dragonflies and damselflies, drawing in a great number of species, including species unique in Hertfordshire. Other species, which have been recorded at the site include Osprey, Mediterranean Gull and Kingfisher. The Trust host regular events at the site, enabling the local community to engage with wildlife in this special habitat and to enjoy a variety of different wildlife activities, such as guided walks and pond dipping.

Access to Hilfield Park Reservoir Nature Reserve is for Herts and Middlesex Trust members only by prior arrangement - for more information visit www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/hilfield-park-reservoir. The Trust’s events programme is open to the wider public and details of the latest schedule can be found at www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/events