We are delighted to award a grant of over £99,000 to Thames21 to rewild the riverbanks and floodplain of the River Rom in the Chase Local Nature Reserve. This project will reanimate an underused and neglected open space, turning it into a vibrant home for flora and fauna and a wonderful asset for local communities.
Rewilding will include rewetting the floodplains to form wetlands and planting species local to the region. This work will allow the return of important and rare species such as the water vole, UK’s fastest declining water mammal. Thames21 will involve local communities in practical nature conservation volunteering and other activities, transforming the area by planting, picking litter, and clearing scrub. Volunteers will be trained to run their own clean-up, restoration, and species management activities as well as monitoring wildlife, on a long-term basis. Informative interpretation boards will be introduced, allowing communities to understand, value and use the restored wetland landscape and its flora and fauna.
We look forward to this important transformation at the Chase Local Nature Reserve.