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schools, rivers and land Management
Ref: L07

School wildlife pond

School wildlife pond

Pond dipping
Pond dipping

All Cornish schools are different from each other. One of the reasons for this is that no school stands on the same piece of land or has the same size, shape or type of school grounds surrounding it.

Some schools in rural parts of the county will be fortunate and have large areas of green space for their pupils to enjoy. Other schools, in city and town areas may have much smaller school grounds. Whatever the amount of land a school has it can manage it to support wildlife and help to decrease pollution entering the water cycle.

For example, there may be areas in a school’s grounds that appear waterlogged (G1), and of little use for recreation. Instead of attempting to drain or dry out these areas to make use of the land, these wet areas could be encouraged to develop. A waterlogged area might be an ideal place to allow wetland plants to grow, providing valuable habitat for birds, insects and mammals (depending upon the size of the area). In the past, wetland areas were considered poor land and their value in reducing pollution and reducing flooding was often not recognised. Consequently, a lot of these areas were drained and built on or used for agricultural production.

If part of a school’s grounds go very close to a riverbank, restoring a wetland area could be very beneficial to the river and fisheries. It is the wetland area and the plants that live in it that naturally treat dirty or polluted water, breaking down waste before the water reaches a river or stream (L06f). They also prevent fast surface run-off of water and help reduce flooding.

Creating ponds can also be a great way of providing a habitat for plants and animals (F05).

These examples of land management may seem quite ambitious, and not very practical if a school does not have much land. There are some easier ways for schools to manage their grounds, which will have a positive effect on rivers and the water cycle.

Don’t concrete and pave all areas, rainwater cannot soak into tarmac and concrete, they are what is know as ‘impermeable surfaces’. Grass, trees and other plants need water to drink, by growing these in the school grounds rainwater is used where it falls. This means that the amount of water moving over land at speed after heavy rain, causing erosion and flooding rivers or streams, is reduced. Trees and plants can also encourage wildlife to visit or live in the school grounds.

For more ideas and information on how to start a school grounds project look at ‘Learning Through Landscapes’ website. This organisation may be able to offer advice and support for proposed projects.

  produced by the WESTCOUNTRY RIVERS TRUST as part of the CORNWALL RIVERS PROJECT  
 

www.wrt.org.uk
www.cornwallriversproject.org.uk