The race is on for Ealing Wildlife Group to fundraise £10,000 to transform a derelict allotment into an urban refuge for wildlife.
The group has until June to fundraise the money or lose the space.
If successful, Ealing Council will match that figure as part of the Transform Your Space scheme which aims to create valuable eco-friendly community areas from previously underused spaces.
Founder Sean McCormack said: “Little green patches of land, like the Costons Lane allotments, are getting eaten up by development so we really want to put our stamp on this one and protect it for the future.
“The more green patches we concrete over, the less opportunity there is for wildlife to travel through the urban landscape, they need those islands of green to get around!
“Birds, insects, bats, and even mammals and amphibians rely on those green corridors to get from one place to another, so its important not to lose those pockets of green space in an urban environment.”
Ealing Wildlife Group is made up entirely of volunteers and was set up in 2016 by full time vet and lifelong naturalist Mr McCormack.
Since then it has successfully launched several habitat management projects including those for bats and owls, but Costons Lane is the most ambitious project to date.
EWG has praised the council, particularly the parks team and rangers, for its support in these endeavours.
The derelict allotment site on Costons Lane in Greenford is 4,500 square meters and currently dominated by brambles and marshy waters.
Mr McCormack claims this environment would be perfect for hedgehogs, newts, frogs, toads and insects who rely on wetland habitats.
A European protected species, the great crested newt, has been found in Ealing nature spots and Mr McCormack expressed his desire to use this project to protect and conserve their limited population.
Next week EWG will be checking the allotment for existing wildlife.
If great crested newts are found there, the land will be protected, and developers will not be able to build anything on site which could disturb them.
Other developments will be expected to include features for wildlife and biodiversity protection under the revised biodiversity action plan which is to be released in summer this year.
EWG urges the community to support the Costons Lane project and boast plenty of opportunities to volunteer in the upcoming months.
Mr McCormack said: “We’ve all been facing a lot of doom and gloom lately, but wildlife and nature is a good way to buoy people’s spirits.”
EWG are appealing for residents and businesses to sponsor the initiative and make a difference in the community.
Feature image credit: James Morton
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