They’re the stunning nature and wildlife photos showing how Severn Trent has been boosting biodiversity by creating new habitats across the region.
In April 2020, the company launched its Great Big Nature Boost commitments, planting 1.3 million trees and helping to improve and enhance 5,000 hectares of habitat.
Yet, the latest figures have revealed that over 11,500 hectares are now thriving across the region.
And these stunning pictures show how the schemes, including projects with the National Trust and Wildlife Trusts, have created beautiful, improved habitats for fauna and flora, trees, and wildlife.
They include sphagnum moss, planted to aid peatland restoration across Combs Moss moorland in the Peak District. As well as restoring nature-rich habitats, the project, led by Moors for the Future Partnership, helps reduce potential flooding and boosts water quality.
Severn Trent also teamed up with the National Trust to plant thousands of trees across Derbyshire to create new Clough Woodlands.
Other biodiversity projects have included helping to fund the reintroduction of families of beavers to Willington Wetlands in Derbyshire and the Idle Valley Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire for the first time in 800 years. The schemes, run by Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts, have seen the cute mammals create dams to slow the flow from waterways onto wetlands to help prevent flooding.
Bryony Harrison, Senior Biodiversity Project Manager at Severn Trent, praised her team and partners for delivering the projects. She said: “We’re delighted to have helped create so many wonderful new habitats, including many with our partners and community groups.
“Our team is very proud of delivering these projects – but making sure we are doing the right thing for nature.
“I’ve always been passionate about the environment from childhood, so this has been the dream job for me.”
Other projects have included creating flower-rich roadside verges in Shropshire and reinstating meadows in Warwickshire to boost populations of wildflowers, fungi, bees, butterflies, and bats.
Severn Trent has also supported farmers across the region to make biodiversity improvements on their farms, helping to reduce the use of pesticides, plant hedgerows, and improve river water quality.
And the water company has also helped fund flower-rich mini-meadows on farmland across the region, which are great for supporting bees and butterflies. The meadows improve water quality by acting as a natural filter to help with flood prevention.
Bryony’s award-winning team also helps ensure Severn Trent capital projects have a positive environmental impact, with the aim of boosting ‘biodiversity net gain’ at each site by 15% – well above the government requirement of 10%.
So, looking back over the five years, what were Bryony’s favourite moments?
“I was there the day they released the beavers in Derbyshire, who are great for helping biodiversity. The beavers just looked back at us – then swam off,” she recalled.
“I also love how we have helped so many smaller community groups with our Boost for Biodiversity grants. Schemes have ranged from seeding projects to creating pond links to boost habitats for amphibians and birds. Helping communities with these schemes has been really rewarding.”
