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Old quarries become wildlife havens |
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18 Nov 2011, 4:25 PM
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Brownfield sites can be very important wildlife habitats, and former quarries especially so. A former sand and gravel quarry in North Yorkshire, restored to wetland by Lafarge, has been praised by the country’s top wildlife agency for its richness of habitat.
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Marfield Wetlands won a top accolade in the inaugural Natural England Biodiversity Awards, part of this year’s Mineral Product Association’s prestigious restoration and biodiversity event. The 94 acre site, near Masham, received a commendation in the debut awards, held recently in London, with judges recognising the importance of its wetlands.
David Park, regional restoration manager for the company, said “We are delighted Marfield was recognised in the very first awards from Natural England. It boasts a diverse range of habitat including lakes, lowland fen and lowland mixed deciduous woodland but most importantly it features wetland which was once very common in North Yorkshire but has now declined by a staggering 80 per cent".
“This type of habitat is a haven for wildfowl and we see many species of birds here. The site is open to the public with a footpath and three bird hides and it is becoming increasingly popular with birdwatchers. Our former Marfield quarry manager Peter Nicholas must be congratulated on the sterling work he has done at the wetlands to help make them a success.”
The Marfield area has a long history of mineral extraction, dating back, according to parish records, to the 16th century. The RSPB estimates the industry could, on its own, deliver UK biodiversity targets for nine out of 11 priority habitats.
Meanwhile on Waterford Heath, near Hertford, rare butterflies and locally rare open habitats will be protected for the next 85 years after Lafarge extended a lease with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. The arrangement has allowed the Trust to secure £50,000 from environmental funder SITA Trust, ensuring species such as the grizzled skipper and white letter hairstreak butterflies, as well as numerous other insects, birds and plants will be safe until at least 2096.
The 100 acre site, was once a sand and gravel quarry operated by Redland Aggregates, the predecessor of Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK. When extraction finished in the early 1990s work was carried out to restore the area to a community nature park, featuring a range of habitats including grassland, scrub, plantation woodland and a small area of ancient, semi-natural woodland. There was already a lease agreement with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust but following discussions a long-term guarantee has been established, enabling the Trust to develop a progressive improvement plan.
Tom Day, Head of Living Landscapes for Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said:
“The lease from Lafarge means we can now develop long-term plans for the protection of wildlife at Waterford Heath. This is very important for continuity in habitat management and exemplifies what we are trying to do across Hertfordshire – our vision is of a living landscape, where we work with others to improve our towns and countryside for wildlife.We have secured funding from SITA Trust to the tune of nearly £50,000, so we can get to work straight away, restoring habitats for grizzled skipper butterflies”
Grizzled skippers are locally scarce, but thrive at Waterford Heath because of the large populations of wild strawberry found there, one of the butterfly’s favoured food plants.
The reserve has two distinct areas. The northern section is characterised by poor quality soils supporting diverse grassland flora including viper’s bugloss, common centaury, carline thistle and bird’s foot trefoil.
The southern section has much richer soils – and therefore less diverse flora. Here scrub dominates a number of areas although common spotted orchid and broad-leaved helleborine have been recorded.
A number of sandy banks provide valuable habitat for a range of warmth-loving insects while the declining willow warbler breeds on the reserve.
Redwings, fieldfares, kestrels, sparrowhawks and goldcrests are all regularly spotted, while kingfishers may be seen on the River Beane close to the northern tip of the reserve. Reptile life includes slow worms, common lizards and grass snakes.
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