Issue 36

Winter Editorial Issue 36

Winter Editorial Issue 36

This issue has been particularly unique, with its narratives weaving themes of history, community, and – rather unintentionally – a remarkable number of pond-related articles! I’ll take you through them all, highlighting where you can learn more and how to get involved in specific projects…

Ealing Wildlife Group Newt Surveys

Ealing Wildlife Group Newt Surveys

The newt survey season runs from April to June, during which we conducted torch surveys and bottle trapping across several sites. There is a huge amount of satisfaction when you find a newt caught in the trap…

Interview, Clara Lehmann

Interview, Clara Lehmann

I’ve always enjoyed working with environmental data and appreciated its importance in understanding the natural world. I also thought it would be interesting to work in a LERC based in London to learn more about the connection between the urban and natural environment…

The Great London Pond Project

The Great London Pond Project

The Great London Pond Project is a partnership project between the Zoological Society of London, Freshwater Habitats Trust and GiGL, and is supported by the Mayor of London. The wider aim of the project is to restore and increase the number of vital pond habitats for London…

Stories from the London Ecology Unit Handbooks

Stories from the London Ecology Unit Handbooks

The LEU created handbooks which provided a description of the biodiversity evident at that time in most boroughs. Though primarily focused on ecology, they also provide local historical vignettes, which may be a source of pride, or horror, to modern-day readers. Several themes weave through these accounts, providing us with a snapshot of life in bygone eras…

Strategic Significance for London

Strategic Significance for London

We’ve been working since 2018 to support our stakeholders with the then emerging biodiversity net gain (BNG) scheme. In the biodiversity conservation field, it’s important we share not only the successes but also the things that didn’t quite work as planned in order to improve methods and processes in the future… 

Reinstating Constable’s Branch Hill Pond

Reinstating Constable’s Branch Hill Pond

Reinstating Branch Hill pond is a collaborative project initiated by the local Redington Frognal Association and with a big contribution from the City of London Corporation who own and manage Hampstead Heath…

Interview, Emily Hawkes

Interview, Emily Hawkes

As GiGL’s Nature Recovery Data Officer, I work alongside the Greater London Authority to help deliver London’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). This entails identifying, collating and integrating key spatial datasets to produce a robust evidence base that can help accomplish successful delivery of the LNRS…

London White Stork Working Group

London White Stork Working Group

At Citizen Zoo, we are very excited to announce we are exploring the potential return of majestic white storks to London. White storks (Ciconia ciconia) are an unmistakable and inspiring species that have symbolised hope, regrowth and new life for millennia…

The UP Garden

The UP Garden

In Summer 2021 I approached the London Borough of Newham and Swan Housing Association, who own and manage the estate respectively, about bringing the yard back into use. Together, we applied for and were awarded a GLA grant to create The UP Garden…