This World Wetlands Day, 2 February, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust are unveiling a series of projects to create and protect more wetland habitats for local wildlife against the rising threat of drought.

Healthy wetland habitats not only support biodiversity but also provide cleaner and safer drinking water, enhanced water storage, flood alleviation, and improved water filtration. They play a crucial role in maintaining sound ecosystems, offering homes for native wildlife, and creating green spaces that contribute to community wellbeing.

Hertfordshire’s State of Nature Report (2020) shows that wetlands cover less than 1% of the total county area, sitting below the national average of 3%. With drought as a growing threat and nearly one in six species at risk of being lost from Great Britain, the protection and restoration of the area’s wetlands is a priority for the Trust.

This work contributes towards its strategy of 30% of land protected and connected for wildlife by 2030 and comes at a pivotal time in the nature and climate crises.  Examples include:

• Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve, near Welwyn Garden City, is home to the largest population of wintering Green Sandpipers in the UK. Last November, thanks to funding from the Species Survival Fund and National Highways, the Trust undertook major works on the reserve to prevent the risk of the River Lea flooding into the spring-fed lagoons and watercress beds on the reserve, where these birds feed on the plentiful supply of Freshwater Shrimps. The river’s backwater was also restored on the site. This will benefit juvenile fish species such as Barbel, Roach and Dace, so when the river is in full flood flows they can take refuge. It will also support wading birds, such as Little Egrets and Grey Herons, and dragonfly and damselfly species, including the Common Darter and Azure Damselfly.

• In January, 40 new ponds were created at Hilfield Park Reservoir Nature Reserve, between Elstree and Bushey, as part of a target to have 203 ponds on the site manged for wildlife by 2030. Funded and supported by landowners Affinity Water, these will help boost dragonfly, amphibian and water beetle populations. There are now around 100 wildlife ponds/ditches on the site, supporting a range of species, including rare dragonflies, amphibians, and water beetles, which are vital for boosting the lower levels of the food chain.

• The Trust provides expert ecological advice to Tarmac, the site owners of Panshanger Park and to its site managers, Maydencroft. Last summer, as part of its management plan, pigs were introduced to the park to ‘rootle’ the ground, thereby creating thousands of miniature-ponds and scrapes which fill with water, providing habitats for invertebrates which in turn provide food for rare breeding wading birds such as Lapwing and Little Ringed Plover.

• At Stocker’s Lake Nature Reserve in Rickmansworth, another Affinity Water-owned site, the Trust’s reserves team work with volunteers from Friends of Stockers Lake to conserve the site’s wetland habitats, including many ponds. Around a third of them are managed carefully on rotation each year so that a balance of cover and open water is maintained such that the ponds remain in tip-top condition for amphibians and dragonflies.

Tim Hill, Conservation Manager at Herts and Middlesex Trust says,

“Our wetlands are natural refuges and hotbeds for wildlife, and some of our most biodiverse and productive ecosystems. They also play a vital role in our everyday lives – protecting us from the consequences of flooding, storing carbon, reducing the air temperature and providing welcome places to relax and enjoy calming moments experiencing nature. Therefore, it is in all our interests to protect the rare wetland habitats we have in this area, and also to create more of them so that all species, including humans, can thrive.”

In addition to the work on its nature reserves, the Trust is active in the local community and examples of its recent wetland-focused projects include, creating a youth volunteering opportunity on the River Colne, running a citizen science project to understand more about some of the threats facing the River Beane to inform conservation plans, working with landholders to create better prospects for wildlife on wetland areas adjacent to the water course, and running a programme of wetland-themed family activities at Stocker’s Lake throughout the school summer holidays. In partnership with Affinity Water, the Trust is helping to expand wetland habitats across the region, creating sustainable ecosystems that support biodiversity and sustain vital water resources. In the past 10 years the Trust has worked with landholders to care for rivers to improve them such that Water Voles have been reintroduced in four locations and are now thriving and spreading.

For more information about the Trust and its projects visit https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/