OLYMPIC PARK: A new wildlife habitat

Olympic Park will installed a new home for wild-life. It has a hectares of different wildlife soon to be released in the park.

So far, three bat boxes and eight bird boxes for black redstarts and house sparrows have been installed within the structure of the site’s pumping station, and a black Redstart box has been made from recycled utilities pipe and placed within the gabion wall in one of the Olympic Stadium bridges.

Richard Jackson, Environment Manager for the ODA said: 'We are creating one of the largest new urban parks in Europe and we are doing this with sustainability at the heart of our plans. It is therefore fitting that local wildlife are some of the first beneficiaries of the investment and regeneration of this area.

'The Olympic Park will include 45 hectares of wildlife habitats, forming part the interconnected green spaces and waterways which will be create a sustainable and green ecological area.'

The ODA published its ‘Biodiversity Action Plan’ earlier this year which sets out the creation of 45 hectares of wildlife habitats for otters, amphibians, invertebrates and other rare wildlife. The 45 hectares will include:

• 1.8 hectares of reedbeds suitable for roosting and breeding birds, otters and vole;
• 23 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;
  
• aquatic vegetation and bankside habitats, including nesting banks for kingfishers, wetland habitats for grey herons and two artificial otter holts.
  

The ODA started the process of protecting and safeguarding habitats before construction work began on the Olympic Park site, including translocating 4,000 newts and hundreds of toads. The creation of new habitats has been incorporated into the design and construction of the venues, infrastructure and parklands and will ensure that habitats are not impacted by spectators who visit the Olympic Park during the Games.

Source from http://www.london2012.com/