A Fenland nature reserve has been named the most bio-diverse following a visit from BBC Springwatch’s Chris Packham.
The Kings Dyke Nature Reserve, established on the site of a former brick yard, won top spot out of 50 other sites in the UK.
The Whittlesey site was among others visited by the BBC’s Chris Packham as part of his independent wildlife audit named ‘Bioblitz’.
The Springwatch presenter said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the hard work put into Bioblitz by teams at sites up and down the country.
“The data that suggests that former brownfield sites – quarries in this instance – offer the most diverse spread of species. This deserves further investigation.”
Kings Dyke is owned by building products manufacturer Forterra, and is the home of the London Brick.
Volunteers recorded 1,139 different species of wildlife during the survey, making it the most diverse of all 50 wildlife sites.
Philip Parker, who runs the reserve, said: “We were delighted with the results of Bioblitz and we are proud of the biodiversity of our Nature Reserve.
“We hope that the research team’s findings will help us to educate and inspire future visitors to the site.
“We would like to thank Chris Packham, his team and all the volunteers who visited us to take part in Bioblitz.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here