Restoring Bumblebees to Bexley: A Conservation Initiative Unfolds
The University of East London’s Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) has helped create a pollinator corridor through Thamesmead in the London borough of Bexley. Such corridors connect different patches of habitat, producing a network of flowers to enable pollinators such as bees to thrive.
The project is a partnership between the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the North West Kent Countryside Partnership, The Ridgeway Users Group, Bow Arts and the University. It was carried out with the help of local communities, with funding provided by the Mayor of London’s Rewild Fund.
The Director of the SRI, Dr Stuart Connop stressed the importance of the project for local people, as well as the local wildlife. He said,
This is a wonderful project that is helping to empower local community groups in East London to bring back nature into their communities. This rewilding project blends art, knowledge exchange, ecology, and active travel.
Work has been taking place since last year increasing the abundance and diversity of forage plants and nesting sites on the site. But next month, on 8 April, the project will be officially unveiled. The Mayor of Bexley, Ahmet Dourmoush, will unveil signs along the route of the corridor which describe the project and give details about the work done. Much of the corridor runs along the Ridgeway, a footpath owned by Thames Water in southeast London. It’s hoped one of the bees that will benefit from the corridor is the shrill carder bee, one of Britain’s rarest species.
Mary Tate, Partnership Manager for North West Kent Countryside Partnership welcomed the collaborative nature of the project. She said, “Between us, we have used our expertise to survey the wildflowers and bumblebees, carried out community engagement and training and worked with local schools and community groups. We’ve also created new habitats and new interpretation boards for the Ridgeway so people can navigate the sites and learn more about the pollinators. It has been a real pleasure to work on the Thamesmead Pollinator project with the other partners to enable some great outcomes for the pollinators.”
In fragmented landscapes such as urban areas, bumblebees and other pollinators can have a difficult time moving from area to area to find food and shelter to survive. Pollinator corridors help overcome these difficulties by linking up separate areas. Three members of the SRI’s staff have been working on the scheme. As well as Dr Connop, Senior Research Fellow Dr Caroline Nash and Green Infrastructure Research Assistant Joseph Sanchez have been helping carry out habitat and species surveys. They’ve also provided expert input on habitat design and management.
The event at the site on 8 April is free and open to the public from 1:30pm to 3pm with no booking required. To take part, just meet on the Ridgeway above The Link community centre on Bazalgette Way, Thamesmead, SE2 9XL at 1:30pm.