Floating islands bring biodiversity boost to docks

Volunteers have planted "floating ecosystems" in an urban dock in an effort to bring a "biodiversity boost" to the area.

The islands have been placed in Bridgwater Dock as part of a partnership between the Wildfowl Wetland Trust and the King's Trust.

It is hoped the islands will provide habitats for birds and fish, and help improve the water quality.

Joe May, the senior project manager for the Bridgwater Blue Heritage Project, said as well as being good for wildlife, the islands are also "good for people", who can watch them grow over time.

Mr May said the hope was for fish to feed under the islands as the plants root into the water.

Meanwhile on the top of the islands, Mr May said: "You'll get birds nesting and using it as a refuge because people can't get to them so it's an attractive prospect for moorhens and other birds in urban landscapes.

"If we think of it as a phase one - three small islands that are doing their bit.

"I think it'd be really good to get more of this kind of idea going around the docks, complimenting the wider regeneration."

Mr May said over time, the materials will biodegrade, but the plants will eventually bind everything together to give the project "longevity".

The Bridgwater Blue Heritage project is funded by the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier scheme, which will cross the River Parrett between Express Park and Chilton Trinity, and will have two vertical lift gates that can be closed to prevent water from flowing upstream during very high tides in the Bristol Channel.

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