Increased footfall combined with drought
are giving the Common a battering. Litter has become a huge problem. We’re
pleased so many people have discovered the Common for their health and
wellbeing. But we do wish more would take their litter home. Three times as
much litter is being collected than at the height of a normal summer. Over 12
tonnes last weekend alone. The Common’s managers have put out bigger bins and
increased collections, but it’s been a struggle. The Common has just one dedicated
litter picker – Michael. More and more people are doing their own litter picks
to clear up the mess. That’s great, but it does hide the scale of the problem
and doesn’t get the message across to the culprits. When the Friends litter
pick we do it in hi-viz jackets to raise awareness and also separate litter into recyclables and
other. Most of it is recyclable, which is another issue. Drop us an e-mail if you’d
like to help.

As a Grade I site of Importance for Nature Conservation that
recently welcomed its first pair of kestrels, the borough's biodiversity
team are concerned by the increased wear and tear we’re seeing. Paths or
'desire lines' have increased, soil compaction has worsened and there's been a
proliferation of den building. New paths interrupt wildlife corridors and
confine animals to smaller and smaller areas, reducing their habitat. Soil
compaction reduces the number of worms, reducing soil quality and food sources.
Fallen dead wood and its surroundings are habitat for many invertebrates that
are an essential part of the wild food chain. Dens can play an educational role
but there's always a balance to strike, and the Scope isn't big enough to
sustain its biodiversity with so many dens now uprooting wildlife and food
sources.

Enable’s Head of Biodiversity has penned a very
timely article about the pressures she’s seeing. Please read it and spread the
word