Calling all wildlife lovers! British Waterways needs you to track water-loving wildlife. They are inviting nature lovers of all ages to get out and about on their local waterway and record the bugs and beasties they spot there.
Water loving birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and insects thrive on the UK’s waterways, which act as green corridors and safe havens for many species. A superb family activity, the 6th annual wildlife survey will continue throughout the year until September – and the end results will give ecologists a clearer picture of what species live where and how they can be protected.
This year’s survey has a special focus on endangered native bumblebees, with support from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which aims to protect bumblebees and their habitats.
Three of Britain’s 25 native species of bumblebee are now nationally extinct and a further six species have been identified by the Government as being at crisis point. With the rapid destruction of bee-friendly habitats, canals and river banks have become an important home to a variety of wild flowers and native plants which bumblebees rely on to survive.
To help people get started, there is a guide to what wildlife can be found along the nation’s canals and rivers, including information on bumblebees and tips on how to support them. British Waterways is also running a photography and drawing competition alongside the survey for adults and children, with prizes of up to £100 available.
For more information, or to download a wildlife survey guide, visit www.waterscape.com/wildlife
Melissa Corkhill is the editor of The Green Parent magazine, mother of two and author of the book Green Parenting
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