CLIMATE ACTION
Wildlife welcome
Photography © James Morton
Ealing is set to become one of the first boroughs in London to successfully rewild a locally extinct species , reports Dan Stephens .
It is thanks to the efforts of volunteers at the Ealing Wildlife Trust ( EWG ) to reintroduce harvest mice . The project is backed by Ealing Council and aims to place the tiny rodent species , which is in significant national decline , into suitable habitats in the borough . Over the summer months , the EWG were running surveys to find the most suitable spots for the mice to be reintroduced , before releasing them .
EWG founder Sean McCormack said : “ We believe that , after much surveying of potential habitats , the harvest mouse is locally extinct – but , luckily , there are a number of localities that could support a population . We have successfully crowdfunded a rewilding programme and will hopefully be in the position to help this species make a comeback right here in Ealing .”
BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN The council ’ s new leadership has made its climate action strategy a key priority . Enhancing green spaces and protecting nature is a huge part of this revamped strategy – including a Biodiversity Action Plan , which comes into effect in September .
Councillor Deirdre Costigan , cabinet member for climate action , said : “ We ’ ve been working to improve the biodiversity of parks and have added more than 230,000 square metres of new wildflower meadows and almost 400 bird and bat boxes in recent years , alongside 50,000 trees .
“ But there is still so much more to achieve , and we are ramping up are efforts to tackle the climate crisis here in Ealing and we are transforming our parks and green spaces to support and improve biodiversity . There is now a new wetlands area in Perivale Park which will alleviate flooding and provide more diverse habitats for wildlife to thrive – with more projects that help nature and address climate change planned across the borough in the near future .” Read the full article at aroundealing . com / news / rewilding-harvest-mice
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