Case Study: Greenwich Peninsul Ecology Park Flashcards
Describe the location of the ecology park
It is located on the Greenwich peninsula, south east London. 1km downstream of the O2 arena (millennium dome) on the south bank of the river Thames
What type of site was the ecology park built on?
A brownfield site, which was an old steel works
Who built the Greenwich ecology park?
English partnerships and a Government regeneration agency
How big is the Greenwich ecology park?
4 and a half acres
When was the ecology park completed and when was it opened to the public and by whom?
It was completed in early 2000 and was opened to the public in February 2002 by the Trust for Urban Ecology
What did the ecology park receive in 2008 which helped with improvements such as disabled and pushchair access along with community involvement?
A lottery grant
What have been built to help enable people to view the wildlife on offer in the ecology park?
Bird hides and bat houses
Who maintains the park?
A wide range of volunteers
What activities constitute park maintenance?
Cutting reeds and clearing blocked streams
Describe the physical environment of the ecology park
A wetland environment with reed beds and inner and outer lake
What does the ecology park contain in addition to the two lakes?
A ‘mosaic of different habitats’ such as a shingle beach, wild flower meadow, marsh and willow woodland.
Name some of the species present in the Greenwich ecology park?
- Garden frogs, common toads and newts which have a specially created spawning area
- kingfishers which have a nesting tunnel which is an attempt to encourage them to breed
- water birds such as grebes, coots and swans
- reed bed birds such as reed warblers
- invertebrates such as dragonflies, damsel flies and butterflies
- a range of plant species such as buttercups, water lilies, water weeds and common stonewort
What are the successes of the Greenwich ecology national park?
- Its become a haven for wildlife and has had positive social and economic impacts
- High biodiversity allowing many species to use its niches
- Phytoremediation - plant natural processes to improve soil quality and soil pollution. Roots of willows and other pollutant tolerant plants have taken up pollutants and ‘bioaccumulate’ them e.g. Silver, mercury and zinc removed from the soil and water
Outline the failures of the Greenwich ecology park
- It could do more to attract a wider cross section of society to make use of it, but it does work with local schools. But further cooperation would ensure the park is used by a greater variety of people and is used by generations to come.
- It is very small so can only have a local scale impact