Managing the Wilderness for Wildlife

Tuesday, 09 March 2010

pruning Rhododendron in the wilderness

It provides an important home for many animals and plants and is therefore important for local biodiversity.  In recent years, approximately 100 species of bird have been recorded on or over campus. The main woodland area, known as The Wilderness, is a designated a Local Wildlife Heritage Site.  However if areas such as these are not actively managed for wildlife, they can lose their value.

Earlier this year the University gave permission to establish an area in the Wilderness for students to enhance biodiversity on campus. The student-led group, along with Dr Graham Holloway, Biological Sciences and Mr Giles Reynolds, Grounds, will first deal with urgent issues such as the amount of litter in the woodland and the spread of invasive Rhododendron ponticum. 

Some background research has already been carried out to assess the affect, if any, that Rhododendron has on biodiversity. Leanne Butt, an MSc Wildlife Management and Conservation student found that where Rhododendron grew there was less than half the number of breeding birds compared to non-infested areas. Of even greater concern was a 75% drop in the number of beetles found. So from a biodiversity perspective, too much Rhododendron in the Wilderness is not good news.

Undergraduate Zoology students began the hard slog recently of removing rubbish from the Rhododendron woodland and from along the main path. In just 1.5 hours they removed over 63 kilos of rubbish, including a gas meter and a child's swing! The students analysed the rubbish, coming to the conclusion that where Rhododendron was viewed as being off the beaten track, the area was more likely to be used to drink alcohol and engage in other "social pastimes".

Developing the area will be a long term project with the work extending across several years. The students have begun to remove some of the Rhododendron and future student projects will assess the impact of the work on levels of biodiversity. This project is being supported by a grant from the University Annual Fund.