Member Article

Former Surrey quarry a haven for wildlife under a rewilding programme

A former active quarry site between Surrey and Hampshire has been turned into a wildlife haven by Hanson Aggregates with the help of ecologists from leading independent ecology consultancy Thomson Ecology.

Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve has been transformed from an active quarrying site into what it is now - one of the best bird watching sites in Surrey. The Nature Reserve covers 150 acres of open water, gravel islands, scrapes, reed bed, scrub, woodland and wet and dry grassland, and has been designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. Work on the site has included the creation of a conservation grassland on the western part of the site. It is managed by dedicated volunteers of the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group and rangers from the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership.

Paul Franklin, Project manager from Thomson Ecology said: “Increasingly companies are rewilding sites after their industrial use has ended and this is an excellent example of how successful it can be. We have been working with Hanson Aggregates to monitor the grassland area of the site and record habitat changes over time. The fact that it is now attracting some rare and unusual birds and providing a diverse habitat for so many creatures including birds, dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, foxes and reptiles is indication that the site is gradually being recolonised by native species. “

Thomson Ecology’s work originally began on the site in 2011 when they undertook a survey of grassland to assess changes in plant communities following the completion of quarrying work on the site and subsequent restoration. A number of vegetation plots were thoroughly surveyed and classified using the National Vegetation Classification. Their ecologists went back on site recently to undertake further monitoring of the grassland and to record how the habitat has developed in that time.

The surveys being undertaken by Thomson Ecology are part of long-term biodiversity monitoring at the site. Any changes recorded in grassland plant communities can be related to changes in the management and hydrology of the site, including the use of cattle grazing to prevent scrub encroachment and dominance of more vigorous plant species.

Restoration of this site was part of the planning conditions associated with the original permission for mineral extraction, which also includes a requirement to monitor the grassland for 20 years.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Thomson Ecology .