h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The huge prairie style arable (farmland) fields, so prevalent in South Essex, are barren lands for wildlife, offering scant, nesting opportunities and little in the way of food.

Some birds, like the woodpigeon, russet male pheasants, partridges, corn buttings can manage to co-exist with the world of modern of agriculture. It is very encouraging to hear that some birds are still hanging in there and some are doing very well.

Kat

Does anyone have news of natural wildlife protection projects?


Kat

Essex Wildlife Trust Project - The Dunton Plotlands

The Essex Wildlife Trust are helping to preserve the unique habitat of wildlife at the Plotlands in Langdon in Essex, The Plotlands were created at the turn of the century by Londoners looking for a haven in the countryside. Their homes are now nearly all ruins.

The land at Dunton was sold off in the 20's and 30's which were referred to as the 'Champagne Sales'. The plots were around 20 x 10 foot. New owners erected dwellings or them often tents or sheds at first then more solid buildings. More people moved to the plotlands as people moved out of London in World War II. Dunton had now become an estate of around 200 homes. It was locally known as either Gumboot Hill or Dodge City.

While they were building their houses most people lived in tents or sheds until their homes were completed. They were practically self-sufficent with having vegetable patches, poultry, a pony to pull their cars and perhaps some bees for honey. The plotlands were worth £20 but most took out a £40 mortgage to cover costs of building their homes.

Visitors are welcome and they can walk around an one-mile trail around the site. Some of the paths are exactly around the trolleys that the plotlanders used to bring their shpping home from nearby Laindon. Now there is a Plotland Museum in a huse that was called 'The Haven'. It was built at the Mills family home where they lived in the mid 30's.

By the 1980's the last residents of Dunton Plotlands had lefts as the plots were sold or compulsory purchased by Basildon Development Council. Essex Wildlife Trust bought the reserve in 1989 and has worked since to maintain both the social history of its site and the wildlife.


kat

There has been a project that has been going over the past year or so and that is if anyone wants to collect fungi in Epping Forest that they need to apply for a special licence. This is done as many of the Forest's fungi have been fast disappearing.


kat

Conversation areas in Essex:

Davy Down is within the Mardyke Valley which consists of around 32 acres (104)) of attractive landscape including riverside meadows,ws, ponds ans and wetland and retains rich hch heritage in the forms ot the impressive viaduct, which dates from 1892, and the well preserved water pumping station built lt in 1921 home now to the tourist information ccentre.

kat

Watt Tyler Country Park, Pitsea Hal Hall Lane, Basildon it has picnic areas, bird rides, motor boat museum, marina and minature railway.

Kat

Kat...

I will add the link to this thread on the Group's page tomorrow so that more people are aware of it...

Talk soon...

loup

Essex Wildlife Trust was establised in 1959 and is the largest organisation of its kind in Essex. They have over 1,000 volunteers and last year they taught over 27,000 children about wildlife at their visitor centres. There are fourteen local Trust Groups, welcomed over 200,000 visitors at their visitor centres annually and run nearly 100 wildlife courses and activity days for adults and children each year.

Kat

Countryside

Hadleigh Castle Country Park
Fields and woodland overlooking the Thames estury,
Location: off Chapel Lane, Hadleigh, Benfleet , Essex.



High Woods Country Park
330 acres of woodland, grassland and wetland with path network.
Location: Turner Road, Colchester, Essex.


Holland Haven Country Park
Unspoilt coastal grazing marshes with footpaths and cliff-top walks to Frinton-on-Sea.
Location: Holland Haven, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex


Marsh Farm Country Park
A working farm and Country Park adjoining the River Crouch.
Location: Marsh Farm Road, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex

Essex Wildlife Trust:

The Essex Coast Today - constitutes the largest habitat type within the county which covers an area of 300 miles. Itis extremely important in its nature conservation value. Some estuarine feeding areas are of national and international importance for the survival of the birds which feed there. The ever changing form of the Essex coast has historically influenced economic activities in the area, and continues to do so up to the present time.

From the early 1600s when sea walls and coastal reclamation were first introduced in the area, right up to today with the construction of the Thames and Colne flood defence barriers. As farming became more intensified, so the pressure on coastal land increased, with over 75% of coastal grassland being drained and used for arable production this century.

Coastal habitats are recognised by all wildlife conservation as extremely important assets. Campaigning reports by various organisations (English Nature, the RSPB) have highlighted the value of the coastal zone and identified many of the threats to it. Essex County Council has produced planning guidelines which give prominence to the value of nature conservation, with strategies to protect, maintain and enhance the coastal habitats on which the wildlife depends as an essential part of the environment.

In Essex much of the coast has been designated as a special area of one sort or another, with areas of National Nature Reserve and Sites of Special Scientific Interest such as Hamford Water and the Southend and Leigh foreshore.

Renewable Energy at Gunfleet Sands, Supplier info, County Hall

GE Wind Energy is in the process of constructing an offshore wind farm on a 10 square km sand bank, to the North of the Thames Estuary. The site is located 7km off Clacton. It will accommodate 30 3.6MW wind turbines, which, when fully operational will supply enough clean, renewable electricity for approximately 85,000 homes.

Two more off shore wind turbine proposals are now at consultation stage. The London Array Wind Farm proposal will include 300 wind turbines, generating up to 1000 Megawatts some 12 miles offshore. The Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm Project is in the Outer Thames Estuary, some twenty six miles off the Suffolk Coast will generate up to 500 Megawatts.

Essex County Council is in the development process of developing a renewable energy project at County Hall in Chelmsford, with support from the DTI and European partners in an INTERREG IIIB project. The aim is to power the County Library by wind and solar photovoltaics and to develop a renewable energy observatory with interactive displays and monitoring equipment for education and awareness.

The Biodiversity Action Plan Process in the UK and Essex

Essex Council has produced its own produce Biodiversity Action Plan in response to a World Wide and national Biodiversity Action Plan. The EBAP, as it is now referred to, was published in 1999 and it currently contains action plans for 25 species and 10 habitats.

Here are below that the project covers:

Mammals: Brown hare
Dormouse Grey
Harbour Porpoise
Otter
Pipistrelle bats
Water vole Birds: Bittern
Partridge
Skylark
Song Thrush
Stone Curlew
Other vertebrates: Great Crested Newt
Twaite shad Plants: Black poplar
Hog's fennel
Oxlip
Invertebrates: Bright wave moth
Des Moulins' whorl snail
Fisher's estuarine moth
Heath fritillary
Hornet robberfly
Shining ramshorn snail
Shrill carder bee
Stag beetle
White clawed crayfish
Habitats: Hedgerows
Ancient Woodland
Cereal field margin
Coastal grazing marsh
Seagrass beds
Heathland
Old orchards
Reedbeds
Saline lagoons
Urban areas

Each action plan in the Essex Biodiversity Action Plan is much more detailed than the national plans with specific and focused objectives concentrating on those species and habitats that are confined to, or are characteristic of Essex, as well as those that have declined regionally, nationally or globally. It is only the successful implementation of the Essex Biodiversity Action Plan that will ensure a rich variety of life in the county is maintained.

Local Food for Local People

The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) administers more than £20 million a year in grants. We support local, regional and national environmental projects, carried out by charities and not-for-profit organisations.

In addition to managing and administering several grant giving schemes, RSWT also coordinates the strategic activities of The Wildlife Trusts throughout the UK.

SEED Projects:

Location: Colchester, Essex
Theme: Local Food Initiatives

To set up and promote a range of local food initiatives within a 20 mile radius of Colchester, particularly within disadvantaged communities where access to services are low. The project will improve access to information and raise awareness of sustainable lifestyles, food production, health and nutrition.

SEED projects

Celebrating Wildlife at the Farm

Thameside Park City Farm

Location: Barking, Essex
Theme: Biodiversity


The project will breathe new life into our dilapidated pond area which at present is unsightly and inaccessible to the public. The revamped area will provide an opportunity for our community to explore and celebrate local biodiversity and for local school children to learn and enjoy native flora and fauna.

Seconds Out Recycled Furniture Store

SEEDS Project

Thurrock CVS

Location: Tilbery & South Ockenden
Theme: Waste Minimisation, Re-use and Recycling

The project will open recycled furniture stores in South Ockenden and Tilbury. The stores will hold furniture as well as being information points in the community for environmental education and recycling initiatives. The stores will incorporate a workshop where furniture can be repaired, cleaned and electrical goods tested.

SEEDS project

Cardboard Recycling Scheme

Wellgate Community Association

Location: Romford, Essex
Theme: Waste Minimisation, Re-use and Recycling


A closed loop recycling scheme, providing training and work opportunities for people from disadvantaged groups. The projet will involve shredding waste cardboard and converting this into animal bedding for use on the farm. The soiled bedding will be returned to a wormery to be reduced to compost and spread on the horticultural plot.

SEED Project

Colchester Community Tool Share

Colchester Allotment Association

Location: Colchester, Essex
Theme: Consumption and Lifestyles

To set up and promote a tool sharing scheme for the benefit of allotment holders and their families in Colchester as well as local community and environment groups. The project will raise awareness of sustainable lifestyles, food growing and land based environment schemes.

SEED Programme for Essex

About the SEED Programme

On April 19th, 2001, the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), with eleven consortium partners, launched the Social, Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) Programme, working in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund, through its Green Spaces and Sustainable Communities initiative.

The Big Lottery Fund chose RSWT as an Award Partner to manage the £15.3 million programme and award grants to disadvantaged communities throughout England before the end of December 2004.

RSWT works throughout the UK to effect strategic protection of wildlife and the environment, managing and distributing grant funds totalling more than £21 million annually, to a range of environmental projects and programmes.

The Big Lottery Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK. The Fund works with national, regional and local partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors to fund initiatives, with particular focus on the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society.

Priority is placed on helping disadvantaged communities and projects that actively involve local people in making a real difference to their environment and to their quality of life. The projects should promote sustainability and local economic development and demonstrate they will have lasting benefits for communities

Southend Ornithological Group Area

The SOG recording area is shown as the white region on the map below. It is mostly bounded by water, the River Crouch to the north (Bridgemarsh Island is included), the North Sea to the east (Wallasea, Potton and Rushley Islands are included but the Foulness/New England/Havengore Island complex is excluded) and the Thames estuary to the south. To the west, the boundary follows the creek north from the Thames at Hole Haven, around the western edge of Pitsea and Vange marshes, to the A13 road. It then follows the A13 east to Sadlers Farm roundabout and from there it runs north along the A130 until it meets the River Crouch near Battlesbridge. Any bird recorded within this area, or seen from this area, is considered recordable for the SOG list.

Annual Local Biodiversity Action Plan Report 2003
In 2003 Southend Borough Council launched a Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Southend-on-Sea in partnership with local nature conservation groups.

ithin the Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) there are a number of objectives and targets. In order to identify actions taken by Southend Council and its partners it was proposed that an Annual Report would be produced. The Annual Report would also be a vehicle for highlighting any biodiversity data collected locally or other local actions and initiatives.

The 1st Annual LBAP Report for 2003 has now been completed and is available on Southend Borough Council's web site. Copies can be viewed at Southend Central Library.