Children and communities helping to care for their countryside

Councillors have praised the work of countryside officers and volunteers in protecting Portsmouth's precious natural environment and wildlife.

The council's countryside team actively support residents, community groups and schools to take part in projects that enhance the green areas they live in.

Countryside officers manage key pockets of nature throughout the city, increasing biodiversity for the benefit of residents and the rich array of wildlife.

At a council meeting on Tuesday 19 November, members discussed a report about the countryside team's work during 2023/24. During the year volunteers have given over 11,000 hours of their time to support different projects, their time the equivalent of nearly seven full-time extra members of staff.

Councillor Lee Hunt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport, said: "The work our countryside team do is vital to the city's vision to be a green and healthy city by 2040, and for the council's commitment of protecting and enhancing our natural environment.

"I'd like to say a special thanks to all of the volunteers for putting in so many hours, which enables so much more to be achieved.

"By engaging with our local communities and schoolchildren, we're encouraging people and the next generations to take care of their precious green spaces and the nature that thrives there."

Key natural areas include:

Portsdown Hill - protecting 55 hectares of land designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, inhabited by numerous species of butterfly, ladybird, bees, amphibians, mammals and flowering plants.

Baffins Pond - collaborating with local community groups to look after the pond's delicate ecosystem and surrounding marshland and managing a protected area for brent geese at Tangiers Field.

Milton Common - Reclaiming grassland which supports 140 species of birds, and a relaxed mowing regime which has created 5,000 additional square metres of wet meadow near Eastern Road, as well as treating invasive Japanese knotweed at Milton Common and Great Salterns.

Hilsea Lines - an urban area with an incredibly rich ecology and listed conservation area, the team manage 4-5 hectares of woodland for Dutch elm disease, supporting a great variety of wildlife, and have created new public pathways.

Inner city sites - connecting and cultivating the city's green areas such as Stamshaw Park, Alexandra Park and Victoria Park, so wildlife can easily move between them.

The team's outreach work helps children develop a love and understanding of their natural surroundings, and this year included a successful 'Swans on Canoe Lake' day for families.

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