the GiGLer
The newsletter of Greenspace Information of Greater London CIC
Partnership Working
Crime Against Nature
A housing development company has become the first to be prosecuted by the Metropolitan Police Service for destroying a bat roost. Unhappy with the outcome of an ecological survey, C&WD asked the ecologists to change the probability of use by roosting bats to low.
Read MoreLISI Update
It is with no small sense of frustration that when LISI’s funding ended earlier this year, we were unable to secure further external funding to maintain Karen’s role as project manager in the long term. Karen has had to leave us for pastures new whilst the wider LISI business group consider our next steps.
Read MoreLNHS Collaborations
LNHS remit is the study and recording of natural history, archaeology and other kindred subjects especially within twenty miles of St Paul’s Cathedral. Things have moved on since John Swindell’s article in the July 2006 issue. The LNHS and GiGL exchange biological records on a regular basis and GiGL has frequently been able to assist LNHS in …
Read MoreBat Map
The nocturnal habits of bats make them intrinsically difficult for human observers to study. In Greater London, those interested in discovering more on the ecology and conservation status of bats face additional obstacles. Firstly, there is a lot of inaccessible, privately owned land. Secondly, Greater London is a huge area to cover.
Read MoreHere Be Dragons
Froglife is a UK wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles. Their ‘Dragon Finder’ app was developed and launched as part of the London Dragon Finder project, an ambitious city wide amphibian and reptile conservation project that included practical habitat restoration work, and educational outreach activities.
Read MoreModelling Risk
Recently, GiGL and LISI produced a range of predictive risk model layers for London for various invasive non-native species. Risk modelling is only as good as the data behind it, which is what made this project so innovative. We were able to use local data to create the model on a local scale, down to 100m² …
Read MoreMaking a B-Line
As most people are well aware, bees and other pollinating insects are in trouble. Honeybees, bumble bees, solitary bees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths all provide valuable pollination services for the flowers, fruits and vegetables that we grow in our parks, gardens and allotments. They are also important for ensuring that natural and semi-natural …
Read MoreThe Ludwigia Front Line
Of course, having avidly read my previous GiGLer articles, you will know all about the invasive non-native species Ludwigia grandiflora. But what you might not know is that there are other types of Ludwigia growing in London as well. Meet Ludwigia x kentiana, or Kent’s Hampshire-Purslane, a nondescript small hybrid herbaceous aquatic plant currently …
Read MoreA different perspective
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment popularised the concept of ‘ecosystem services’; making sure nature is considered in decision-making by measuring and accounting for the benefits it provides to human wellbeing. The value of some services such as pollination of agricultural crops can be measured, however not all services are so easily quantified.
Read MoreReimagining London
Reimagine London is a project that invites Londoners to dream of how their city could be improved. London is an inspirational city. It is well known for its built and cultural heritage, but it also has an incredible natural heritage. London’s invaluable mosaic of gardens, woods, parks and nature reserves covers 47% of the capital. It is these spaces that make London …
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