The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has launched a 12-month nature project to improve vulnerable wildlife habitats across 10 key sites totaling 400 hectares – a combined area greater than the City of London.
The ‘Making Special Places for Nature’ project spans reservoirs and canals in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Berkshire and mid Wales.
The project will benefit water shrews, voles, otters, bats, dragonflies and other rare fauna and flora, the trust said.
This cleanup program, made possible thanks to a £350,000 award from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, will involve a wide range of habitat protection work including dredging, bank restoration, shade removal and improvements in water quality.
The project will also assess the health and populations of various rare species, according to the trust.
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