Wildlife habitats to be restored in urban park

Wildlife habitats in a historic Bristol park are set to benefit from a major restoration project this year.

Stoke Park will undergo work to restore three overgrown ponds. Partly funded by Natural England, the scheme is expected to benefit Great Crested Newt, beetles, dragonflies and aquatic snails. Bristol City Council chiefs said the three ponds would soon become "thriving oases for wildlife."

Great Crested Newts are set to benefit from the pond restoration in Stoke Park (YWT).

Some of the work would be carried out by local volunteers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The restoration project forms part of the council's wider work on improving ecology and local wildlife in Bristol. Some of the ongoing ecology work is currently being questioned, with construction taking place elsewhere on green spaces in the city, like Ashton Vale.

Bristol City Council declared an ecological emergency in 2020, in response to the alarming declining rates of wildlife and natural habitats in the city and around the world. In 2021 the council published its ecological action plan, pledging to take action on improving habitats across the city, such as ponds and lakes.

Another aquatic habitat to recently see restoration work is the lake in St George Park, which reopened in October after a £400,000 restoration project.