Where a river has been artificially straightened, as the Ravensbourne River here has, the river channel and bank become uniform.
A natural river contains many different habitats. The Parklands project aims to restore a variety of habitats in the river, so that many different species can flourish.
Although prior to the restoration, the river here was relatively clean, the health and habitat have been improved through:
- Removing concrete river walls and timber toe board
- Planting aquatic and marginal vegetation such as sedge, and yellow flag iris
- Creating deeper pools within the river for fish to live in
- Creating shallow riffles for fish spawning, and to oxygenate the water
- Reintroducing meanders and narrower sections of river
- Creating backwaters for fish spawning and shelter during high flows
These changes will increase the populations of insects, fish and birds using the river as their home.
Look out for species such as mayfly, stickleback and chub, grey wagtail and kingfishers.
River restoration can also help to reduce the likelihood of flooding in surrounding areas, as creating sections of shallower river banks increases the river channel's capacity to hold water.