Although the area has suffered from decades of neglect and industrial use, the wetlands, waterways and woodland areas have been natural habitats for several species of fish, birds, bats and newts and as work on site accelerates the ODA have been taking steps to ensure these species are protected.

Almost 2,000 newts and hundreds of toads have already been relocated into specially constructed ponds and an artificial nest has been built for Sandmartins within the Waterworks Nature Reserve which is visited by thousands of local schoolchildren every year.

To date, the ODA has:

relocated almost 2,000 newts and hundreds of toads from the Olympic Park

constructed an artificial Sandmartin nest in the Waterworks Nature Reserve

relocated fish, including pike and eels, from the small Pudding Mill River at the Olympic Stadium site into the River Lea

carried out over 18 dawn surveys to check for Black Redstart birds

carried out twilight surveys to check for roosting bat activity across the site

There will continue to be a rolling program of ecology work and the ODA is also currently exploring providing alternative habitats for species of insect such as the toadflax brocade moth and species of solitary bee and is planning to build an artificial Kingfisher nest at the Waterworks Nature Reserve.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said:

“We have moved into the next phase of the project where activity on the park changes gear - the site is being cleaned up, demolition of existing buildings has accelerated and bridges are being built. A great deal of work is also being done to ensure that we minimise any disruption to existing habitats and protect the wildlife on the site during this period.

“The Waterworks Nature Reserve will act as a temporary home for many of the species from the Olympic Park and will also help teach school children about the local ecology of the area.”

Simon Wightman, Biodiversity Manager, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority added:

“The Waterworks Nature Reserve is a unique environment in the heart of a major regeneration area. The ongoing work taking place at the reserve creating new wetland habitats will ensure that the animals that are released here have the best possible chance to become established in their new home.

“Translocation projects such as this are a temporary measure when animals can’t be protected on site and we are pleased to see that populations of reptiles and amphibians, that can be very susceptible to disturbance during development, will benefit from the provision of extensive new habitat provided through the Olympic project.”

The Waterworks Nature Reserve, near the Olympic Park, is being used to create new habitats for wildlife that needs relocating to ensure protection and that feeding and breeding habitats are not disrupted by construction work. Much of the wildlife will be re-introduced back into the Olympic Park once construction work has completed.

In addition, two pairs of swans have been sighted frequently around the Olympic Stadium site area. The ODA have made sure not to disturb them while them while they were nesting in the Pudding Mill River and the cygnets have now fledged the nest. The swans are not rooted to any one location and they do not require relocation as their habitat will not be affected by ongoing work.

The new Olympic Park will include a range of habitats for wildlife including log walls, some of which are being constructed now. A lot of work will also be done to restore the waterways, with 3.5km of riverbank to be remodelled and green and brown roofs will also be considered for some venues as well as incorporating habitat opportunities such as swift bricks and nesting cavities.

- Ends –

Broadcast footage of the translocation process and other ecology work is available on request for the ODA Press Office on 0203 2012 700.

Notes to Editors

The Waterworks Nature Reserve is operated by the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority and will be used as alternatives habitats for many of the species that need to be relocated from the Olympic Park. It is already home to some of the rarest wildlife in the region, including: 322 species of plants, grass snakes, frogs, toads and newts, 2 colonies of water vole, 25 species of breeding birds including Kingfishers and over a quarter of the species of dragonfly found in Britain.

Newts and other amphibians have been found in the Olympic Park and relocated but to date, no Great Crested Newts which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act have been discovered.

Bat surveys have discovered evidence of foraging but no evidence of a roost has been found to date. Foraging species we have observed include the common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus), noctule (Nyctalus noctula) and Leisler (Nyctalus leisleri). Further survey work will be carried out.

The black redstart is a small robin-sized bird whose population is concentrated in urban centres because they are known for loving derelict building and construction sites. Although there are fewer than 100 breeding pairs in the UK, East London is one of its strongholds. A number of dawn surveys have been conducted during the birds breeding season to monitor any presence but none have been discovered to date.

Sandmartins are migratory birds and are occasionally spotted in the Olympic Park area where they have nested along the banks of the waterways. As the building work progresses on the Park, the ODA will use mesh to prevent nesting here and create alternative nests in the Waterworks Nature Reserve.

Fish were retrieved from the Pudding Mill River and relocated in the nearby River Lea by aquatic experts. The fish were recovered through the process of ‘electrofishing’ which temporarily stuns the fish making them float to the surface from where they were recovered, revived in tanks and transferred to their new home.

The swans in the Olympic Park area are Mute Swans - a species that is resident in the UK and will not migrate and whose habitat is slow moving rivers/canals.

For further information please contact the ODA Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 700
or visit the website at www.london2012.com.