With funding from Severn Trent Water Ltd and the Environment Agency, Water for Wildlife is an ambitious five-year programme for restoring wetland biodiversity throughout Derbyshire.
The aim of the Water for Wildlife Project is to contribute to the restoration and protection of wetland wildlife, delivering practical conservation benefits and raising awareness of the issues surrounding it.
In Derbyshire, we are focussing on those habitats and species identified as priorities in the county’s Biodiversity Action Plans.
These are:
Reedbeds Otter
Wet grassland Water Vole
Wet woodland White-clawed Crayfish
Fens Lapwing
Blanket bog Grass Snake
Lakes, ponds and canals Black Poplar
Rivers and streams
Ditches
Wetlands in Derbyshire vary from blanket bogs and moorland streams in the High Peak to gravel pits and flower-rich flood meadows in the lowland river valleys.
However, our wetlands are under serious threat. Over the decades, river courses have been straightened, floodplains have been reclaimed for agricultural use or built upon, ponds have been filled in and blanket bogs have had conifer forests planted on them. With the perils of pollution, development and water abstraction posing continuing threats, wetland wildlife is facing a struggle for survival.
All is not doom and gloom. There is now more help available for farmers and landowners to restore wet places and bring wildlife back. Mineral extraction such as gravel pits and sand diggings give opportunities for new wetlands to be created. In Derbyshire, we are determined not to let these opportunities pass us by.
To find out more about the Water for Wildlife Project or to find out how you can get involved, contact Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.