Canal & River Trust wins prestigious environment award
Waterways charity, Canal & River Trust, has received a prestigious Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management award for its transformative Unlocking Biodiversity project in the West Midlands that is helping to improve habitat for wildlife along the region’s historic navigable canals.
The aim of the project, which won the NGO Impact award, which was funded by Severn Trent as part of their Great Nature Boost. The initiative has helped preserve and restore wildlife habitats in the West Midlands through a series of conservation and restoration works that have created ecological corridors and connected otherwise fragmented wildlife habitats.
Over 231 miles of region’s canals were included as part of the project including the Walsall, Worcester & Birmingham, Coventry, Oxford, Trent & Mersey, Grand Union, Stratford-upon-Avon, Staffordshire & Worcestershire, Droitwich and Shropshire Union canals.
The main scope of the project has involved working with volunteer groups to create new and improve existing reedbeds to filter water and improve water quality. This will help support several animal species including the water vole, Britain’s fastest declining mammal.
The project has also improved hedgerows and grasslands to create animal ‘superhighways’ along the canal to help boost numbers of butterflies and dormice, whilst existing heathland habitats have been improved and extended that will help protect a range of reptiles and mammals, including the small heath butterfly and the bilberry bumblebee.
Laura Connor, Unlocking Biodiversity project manager at Canal & River Trust, said: “We’re honoured to receive the award. This recognition is a testament to the hard work of our teams, partners, and volunteers who’ve come together to restore and enhance these vital green-blue corridors for nature and communities alike.
“This project has been about reimagining what our navigable waterways can offer, as heritage assets and transport links, but also as thriving ecological lifelines. The biodiversity gains we’re seeing, from increased sightings of animals and insects along our canals is already really encouraging.”
For more information on how you can support the work of Canal & River Trust, including how you can donate money or volunteer with us please visit canalrivertrust.org.uk
