Posted on March 4, 2020
WATER voles could be moved as Blenheim Palace staff safeguard wildlife habitats ahead of a £9m Lake Dredge Project.
The stately home has enlisted the expertise of Oxfordshire-based BSG Ecology to ensure the huge civil engineering programme next month will cause minimum disruption to the estate’s fauna and flora.
Wildlife surveys carried out by BSG Ecology ahead of the dredging has revealed the estate is home to a huge variety of wildlife including more than 50 per cent of the UK’s different bat species, 36 different species types of wildfowl, water voles, badgers, otters, reptiles and a number of rare insect species.
Estates director Roy Cox said: “In preparation for lake dredging work to begin in the spring, we undertook a wildlife audit at Blenheim, identifying key species that need to be protected.
“Where necessary we will be setting up soft release pens and traps to move water vole populations away from any potential disturbance and we will also be providing alternative nesting boxes for bats and other species.
“With the all-clear given from our ecologists, we have already begun removing scrub and reeds to enable access to the Queen Pool in readiness for the project to begin.
“In addition to re-locating water voles and fish to other areas of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, work will also be carried out to improve habitats and environments, encouraging existing species to flourish as well as attract new ones once the dredge is completed.
“The dredge will allow us to ensure the long-term survival of this crucially important habitat and means we will be able to continue to be a haven for so many native wildlife species.”
The project has been endorsed by Natural England who recognise that Blenheim Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the lakes are one of the largest areas of open water in Oxfordshire.
Source: oxfordmail.co.uk
