New biodiversity plan sets out future for Olympic Park wildlife

27 February 2009--Plans showing that 45 hectares of wildlife habitats will be created within the Olympic Park have been published today by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).
Habitats for otters, amphibians, invertebrates and other rare wildlife will all be created. A total of 525 bird boxes and 150 bat boxes will also be installed in venues, buildings and bridges.

Waterways will be regenerated, banks of the river will be remodelled and aquatic vegetation and bankside habitats will be created.

The Park’s ecology programme started in 2007 with the relocation of a number of species, including fish, toads and newts, to a nature reserve outside the Park to safeguard them against the construction activity.

The new habitats are being designed to ensure that they are not affected by the thousands of people who will visit the Park during the Games.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'The creation of green oases in the Olympic Park will be a fantastic legacy for Londoners to enjoy for many years to come. These areas are being carefully designed to provide ideal wildlife havens so that flora and fauna can thrive.'

The 45 hectares will include:
- 1.8 hectares of reedbeds suitable for roosting and breeding birds, otters and vole
- 3 hectares of species-rich grassland suitable for invertebrates, Flower beetles, ground bugs and bees
- 5 hectares of brownfield habitats including log walls, stone-filled baskets and native tall herbs suitable for lizards, birds, moths and linnets
- 10 hectares of broadleaved woodland and hedgerows
- 0.9 hectares of wet woodland – a rare habitat type for amphibians, snakes and birds
- 4,000 m2 of ‘living roof’ space for birds and rare insects
- 4 new ponds, at least 50m2 in size - two of which will be designed for breeding amphibian
- 4 sites for common lizards with quiet, sunny, south-facing slopes near woodland or rich grasslands
- 4 wetland and grassland habitats that can act as egg-laying sites for grass snakes

The ODA will also help regenerate the waterway habitats with a programme of invasive species control, bank remodelling and creation of aquatic vegetation and bankside habitats. This will include the creation of nesting banks for kingfishers, wetland habitats for grey herons and two artificial otter holts.

The ODA started a process in 2007 of protecting and safeguarding habitats before construction work began on the Olympic Park site, which included translocating 4000 newts and hundreds of toads.

The habitats are being designed to ensure that they are not impacted by the thousands of people who will visit the Olympic Park during the Games.

Source: London 2012

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