Our parks are home to many important plants and animals including bats, house sparrows and Britain’s rarest native tree, the black poplar. All these species are recognised and work is being done across London to help protect them.
The Local Nature Recovery Plan has Hackney’s Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs) as the foundation of a local nature recovery network.
Hackney is divided into five nature recovery areas. Each identifies opportunities for projects and interventions that can help make ecological connections that protect, add to, and link the SINC network. We can do this through methods such as:
making enhancements to parks
wildlife-friendly planting in amenity green-spaces
urban greening in new developments
Importance of biodiversity
In an urban area such as Hackney, biodiversity plays a vital role in cleaning our air, reducing the effect of hot temperatures in summer and helping to control water run-off, reducing flooding. These benefits to people are called ecosystem services.
It has been shown that contact with the natural environment can improve people’s wellbeing and reduce stress.
Urban meadows biodiversity
Meadows are becoming more common in Hackney’s parks.
Meadows can take different forms from the highly colourful pictorial meadow, in London Fields to the more subtle grass meadow in South Millfields.
All types of meadow provide a better habitat for insects compared to amenity grassland and can provide a food source for bees and butterflies.
Grass meadows are created by simply reducing how often the grass is cut, allowing it to grow tall, flower and seed.
Wildflower meadows consist of British wildflower species such as the corncockle, poppy or oxeye daisy and a mix of grasses.
Pictorial meadows will commonly include British wildflowers. It will also include non-native species, which can give an impressive display or extend the flowering period of the meadow. Pictorial meadows commonly flower from May to October.
Meadows are sown in either the spring or autumn. They can include annual and perennial species. This combination ensures a great splash of colour and that the meadow blooms year after year.
They’re cut in the autumn and the cuttings removed and composted. This helps to lower the soil’s fertility. This provides better growing conditions for the meadow. In general they prefer less fertile, well-drained soil.
Sites of importance for nature conservation (SINCs) are areas designated for their importance for wildlife. The designation is also referred to as ‘non-statutory wildlife site’ or ‘local site’.
List of important sites for nature conservation
Sites of importance for nature conservation (SINCs) are areas designated for their importance for wildlife. The designation is also referred to as ‘non-statutory wildlife site’ or ‘local site’.
In London, there are 3 grades of SINC:
sites of metropolitan importance – important at a London-wide scale, sites which contain the best examples of London’s habitats, have particularly rare species or have particular significance in heavily built-up areas
sites of borough importance – important on a borough perspective, divided into two grades on the basis of their quality
sites of local importance – of particular value to people nearby, such as residents or schools
There are 24 SINCs in Hackney including a number of public parks, wetlands and waterways and woodlands.
As well as honeybees, Hackney is home to a number of species of solitary bees and bumblebees, some of which are nationally rare. The brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis) is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species and has been recorded in Hackney. The hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) is a priority species in the Hackney BAP.
How to help bees
The best way to help bees is to make sure there are places for them to feed and shelter. Gardens and parks in urban areas can provide good sources of nectar and pollen.
You can find out more about how to help bees in the British Beekeepers Association’s list of pollen and nectar-rich plants.
We’re also leaving an increasing number of areas of longer grass to provide a source of food for insects such as bees.
If you would like to learn more about bees, see the presentation that Russell Miller produced for a biodiversity talk in Hackney, see presentation (PDF 13mb)
Local contacts
If you’d like to find out more about bees and beekeeping, contact the following organisations:
A number of advice notes have been produced to provide information about managing green spaces for wildlife and following best practice in planning, development and project management.
Advice for site managers and community groups
Hackney Biodiversity Partnership provides advice on how to create and manage areas for wildlife.
Information about the planning system in Hackney is available in planning policies.
For information about biodiversity measures that can be incorporated into new developments or regeneration projects, and general principles on the features we expect to see in development applications, see the Hackney advice note: biodiversity and the built environment (PDF 4mb).
To ensure our projects follow best practice guidelines we’ve produced a checklist, including information about the sorts of projects that need species or habitat surveys, and providing sources for further advice.
More than half of Hackney’s households rent from social landlords or registered providers, and a large number of these residents live in estates. Examples of estates where residents have worked with local organisations to create and manage their local green space:
The London Wildlife Trust project is working with residents of Hackney estates to engage people in the improvement of their local green spaces and develop their conservation skills
The Clapton Park tenant management organisation has chosen to use the Grass Roof Company as their maintenance contractor. The estate is often referred to as the ‘poppy estate’ because of the number of wild flowers
Advice for residents with private gardens
Gardens provide an important network of green space across Hackney, however certain areas in the borough, such as Shoreditch and Dalston, have considerably fewer private gardens than elsewhere.
We need to understand what species and habitats we have in order to make informed decisions about how to manage our environment. Knowing what wildlife shares our borough gives us the knowledge to:
manage parks and open spaces for specific habitats and species
consider biodiversity in planning policy and responses
target projects towards the species and habitats that most need our help
Local wildlife records also contribute to our understanding of how biodiversity is changing over time at both the regional and national scale.
Submit your biodiversity records
We encourage you to submit any records that you collect of habitats or species.
This could be a:
list of birds that you see in your local park
butterfly that visits your window box
thorough site survey
Currently, we are particularly keen for people to record amphibians and mammals as these groups are currently under-recorded across London.
Help identify wildlife
If you have spotted something but aren’t sure what it is, there are plenty of places to go for help.
You can:
put a photo on Sustainable Hackney and see if anyone can tell you what it is
visit iSpot for advice from a national network of wildlife spotters
The Hackney Buzzline presents a unique opportunity to engage residents in nature conservation. This will be key to Hackney’s Local Nature Recovery Plan. It will create a legacy of environmental care in the borough. The Hackney Buzzline aims to improve green infrastructure, enhancing residents’ quality of life and well-being. It creates opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and community interaction, fostering a stronger sense of neighbourhood belonging and pride.
We will create a flower-rich green corridor. It will link four parks (Mabley Green, Daubeney Fields, Millfields Park and Hackney Downs). The corridor will support, protect, and boost local bee and butterfly populations. We want to help residents enjoy the beauty of bees and butterflies, explore their local green spaces, become more active and connect with nature.
Grow Back Greener Fund 2022
The Grow Back Greener Fund 2022 has awarded £2m to 56 community projects across London to:
plant trees to provide shade
create and enhance green space
increase climate resilience
In partnership with London Fields User Group, we received some money from the Grow Back Greener Fund to improve the biodiversity offer across two areas of London Fields.
The project has significantly improved biodiversity and opportunities for ecology education, research, and volunteering.
In the North East area of the park, we improved a woodland area currently managed for wildlife and used as a green classroom. We used the grant to:
enhance hedging
plant more to support biodiversity
create habitats for various wildlife
maximize the site’s usage as a green classroom
In the South West area, we transformed an under-utilized space to boost biodiversity. We created various habitats such as:
wetland
meadow
woodland
wood-edge
post-industrial areas
We added planting around the edges to increase habitat and reduce disturbance.
A path into the area allows access and encourages use by young people as an ecology teaching resource. This is a significant gain for biodiversity since the park currently lacks a permanent habitat or water source.