Ecology and undergraduate placements

Perhaps the best kept secret in WBCT is the presence among us of undergraduates, from Plymouth University, who are studying for degrees in ecological management. WBCT is a leader amongst canal restorers in publishing its biodiversity statistics on its website. Go to Interactive Map (wbct.org.uk) and choose biodiversity to discover that Wroughton is the bat capital of Wiltshire!

We want to maintain our leadership in this field, partly because new rules mean we have to demonstrate net biodiversity gain (NBG) in our future restoration projects. We also know that flora and fauna are a major factor in attracting the public to our linear park, the green-blue corridor across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

By offering work placements to undergraduates in this field we can conduct studies along our 112Km route to build a living database about our biodiversity and make a real contribution to local ecology and public interest in it. We have ambitious plans for a Citizen Science project in 2022 to perform a detailed survey of the biodiversity of our entire line. Our undergraduates will be doing the groundwork and helping to define the survey methodologies. It’s called a win-win situation!