SVP marks World Wetlands Day

Stroud Valleys Project (SVP) is joining with nature and wildlife organisations across the world to mark World Wetlands Day - Thursday 2nd February 2023 . The annual event calls for more awareness of the importance of wetlands, and for action by individuals, communities, companies and governments to protect them.

This year’s theme, It’s Time for Wetland Restoration, highlights the urgent need to prioritise wetland restoration, and calls on people to revive and restore degraded wetlands. 

Hard work, but satisfying!

More than 35% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded or lost since 1970. Reversing this trend is critical – and Stroud Valleys Project is working with partners and communities across the district to protect and restore our own local wetland ecosystems. The charity currently helps maintain eight wetland sites across the district, including Arundel Mill Pond, Sarah’s Field in Berkeley, and Kingswood Newt Ponds near Wotton under Edge.

Last week, SVP staff and volunteers worked with Wildwood Ecology at the newt ponds near Stonehouse Court Hotel, removing 20 bags of rubbish and tidying the foliage around the margins of the pond.

SVP’s CEO Clare Mahdiyone explains, “It was a very cold day and the water was frozen, but we cleared as much of the debris as we could.

“There was a huge amount of rubbish left behind by people, including camping and cooking equipment – even an entire tent!”

Once ornamental fish ponds attached to the hotel, the ponds are now home to around 1,000 Great Created Newts, making it a nationally significant site for the amphibians, which are on the Red List of endangered species.

Next week, SVP’s team will again be busy in Stonehouse, at the Ocean, the large area of water on Stroudwater Navigation canal. Staff and volunteers will be removing encroaching willows and managing the reed beds to make the habitat better for people and wildlife.

Another area supported by Stroud Valleys Project is in Cam, near Dursley. SVP has been managing Rackleaze Wetland for over 10 years; the site is tucked away behind Cam’s supermarket and provides a haven for wildlife of all kinds. Project officer Richard Lewis is working with SVP volunteers today to clear scrub, making the area more habitable for both wildlife and local people. He says, “We work with our volunteers and the parish council to maintain the site so the birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and plants including Marsh Orchids that live there flourish.”

“Working with our partners, we’ve installed boardwalks, bridges, picnic benches and places where people can sit, enjoy some peace and quiet, and watch the wildlife that makes Rackleaze its home.”

This year, SVP’s sights will be set on two more areas of wetland: the River Frome Nature Reserve in the centre of Stroud, and two new wildlife ponds on the hills of Salmon Springs.

“Wetlands are so important to our wildlife,” explains Clare Mahdiyone. “Around 40% of the world’s species live or breed in these unique habitats. Restoring wetlands powers the local food chain and attracts wildlife, making our district a richer and more diverse place to live.”