Mayor of London funds rewilding projects across South London

The Mayor of London has provided support for restoring London’s natural biodiversity with a new batch of funding.

Sadiq Khan announced today, on World Rewilding Day, that he will be committing a further £1m to rewilding London.

The new funding came as the mayor announced the 22 recipients of his Rewild London Fund. 

Mr Khan said: “We are now facing dual climate and ecological emergencies worldwide, which further threaten our ability to survive on our planet. 

“Despite the harm inflicted on the natural world, we have the power to make amends, and I am committed to ensuring that London is at the vanguard of efforts to reverse the trends of declining biodiversity and the destruction of nature.”

Projects across South London will include the introduction of a Thames Pollinator Corridor in Bexley.

A partnership of conservation groups will work with local volunteers and members of the community to carry out habitat improvements, people will also be invited to learn more about bumblebees and other pollinators.

The project aims to boost numbers of the rare Shrill Carder Bee by increasing the abundance and diversity of forage plants and nesting sites. 

Projects in Lambeth aim to rewild the north side of Brockwell Park by creating a new wildflower and grass meadow with banks and rain ponds as well as planting a belt of trees and native shrubs.

There will also be an Ancient Woodland Restoration Project in Lewisham that will include focused project areas to deliver biodiversity and habitat enhancements.

In Southwark, the Dulwich Estate will lead a project to extend woodland habitats into green spaces which are not currently functioning properly for wildlife.

Across London there will be 22 projects that will enable around 116 hectares of priority habitat to be restored or created.

For more information visit, https://www.london.gov.uk/london-rewilding-taskforce

Pictured Top: Shrill carder bee (Picture: Amazon UK, Gabrielle Horup)