|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
11 January 2006 Royal Park in the city's heartland Richmond Park 
London's wildest Royal Park will feature on BBC's Hands on Nature programme on the 13th January at 7:30pm. Richmond Park is one of the eight Royal Parks across London that provides beautiful green spaces for thousands of visitors and important habitats for an amazing array of wildlife. Nature Presenter Chris Packham will take viewers on an exploration of Richmond Park, London's largest enclosed park, which covers almost 1,000 hectares. The park was designated London's largest Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by English Nature in 1992 and as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), welcoming around 7,000 visitors a day. Talking about the programme, Mr Packham said that Richmond Park was a truly unique environment: "Only a few miles from the Capital and yet it supports an extraordinary and exciting array of plants and animals from ancient oaks, Skylarks, noisy Ring-Necked Parakeets, the magnificent Red Deer and the equally well-armed Stag Beetles." The Royal Parks manage Richmond Park with the protection of wildlife in mind - it is definitely the top UK destination for a suburban safari!" Mr Packham said. With the guidance of Royal Parks Wildlife Officer, John Bartram, the programme takes a closer look at the spectacular autumn deer rut for which Richmond Park is renowned: "Richmond Park is definitely the best place in Britain to watch deer. It is home to around 300 Red and 350 Fallow deer, kept in the park since 1637 when King Charles I enclosed the park for hunting." Mr Bartram said. "It is fascinating to see the way the rut works. The Master stag has to keep a harem of females to himself and tries to breed with as many as possible, whilst keeping the other stags at bay. Of course, you should always treat wildlife with respect and give deer a wide berth, especially if you are a dog owner." Mr Bartram said. Today it remains virtually unchanged after several centuries, making it a fabulous place to come and look at the historical landscapes gardens and wildlife. Source: The Royal Parks For further information contact: The Royal Parks Press Office T: 020 7298 2128 E: press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk Editor's notes: Park lands Richmond Park has a rich and varied landscape of hills, bogs and bracken, woodland gardens, semi-natural acidic grasslands and ancient parkland trees. The park is home to a rich variety of plant and animal life, including deer, badgers and foxes as well as over 1,000 species of beetle - that's more than a quarter of the overall British beetle list! It is an important natural habitat for the Cardinal Click and Stag Beetles. The Stag Beetle has declined in recent years, but London and Richmond Park, in particular, remain one of its strongholds. The males have antlers just like the rather larger Red Deer who live in the park. Ancient woods Richmond Park is a top UK site for ancient trees, particularly oaks, which have great historic and wildlife importance. There are nearly 1,000 oak trees in this nationally important park. Over 150 trees are planted each year in open areas of the park to support nationally endangered species of fungi, as well as the many rare insects which live at Richmond. Visitors can also enjoy the Isabella Plantation, a beautiful landscaped woodland garden with a stream, ponds and magnificent floral displays including azaleas and flowering rhododendrons. Sound and smells of nature Also popular with nature lovers are the herds of approximately 300 Red and 350 Fallow Deer, which were originally present when Charles I enclosed the park for hunting in 1637. The eight miles of brick wall he commissioned for this purpose are now Grade I listed and on the English Heritage Register. Richmond Park is one of the best places in Britain to watch Red and Fallow deer. It's great to be able to see these impressive creatures, and to experience the smell and sound of them, especially in the autumn during the rutting season. Bird sounds The park boasts an impressive range of birds including some unusual non-native species. Look out for 100 pairs of Parakeets in the parkland. They are characterised by their bright green plumage, rosy beaks and the ring on the necks of adult birds. If you can't spot one, listen out for their noisy, raucous calls. |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
 |
||||||||
