Riverside Park

• Arisings

The cuttings or debris left over after mowing or pruning; in meadow management, these must be removed to keep soil nutrients low.

• Ash Dieback

A chronic fungal disease that affects ash trees, leading to leaf loss and crown dieback; it has necessitated tree felling in the Riverside Park network.

• BCAT

Beaver Considerations Assessment Toolkit; a system used to map the potential risks beaver activity may pose to human infrastructure.

• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

A strategy to ensure that development projects leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was before; a 20% BNG is required in parts of the Sid Valley.

• Brownfield Species

Plant or animal species that typically thrive in disturbed or previously developed land.

• Crayfish Plague

A deadly water mold (Aphanomyces astaci) carried by the invasive American Signal Crayfish that threatens native aquatic ecosystems.

• Dark Corridor

An area managed to remain free of artificial light pollution to protect the navigation and foraging routes of bats.

• Indicator Species

A species whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition or habitat quality (e.g., Pignut for unimproved grassland).

• Leaky Dams

Strategic installations of woody debris in streams designed to slow the flow of water during storms as part of Natural Flood Management (NFM).

• Opening the Sid

A conservation project focused on restoring migratory fish pathways by removing or modifying man-made barriers in the River Sid.

• Pteridophytes

A group of vascular plants that reproduce via spores, including ferns and their relatives.

• Riparian

Relating to or situated on the banks of a river or other body of water.

• Sky-lighting

The selective thinning of the tree canopy along a riverbank to allow more light to reach the riverbed, encouraging the growth of aquatic plants.

• Tree Kickers

Felled trees secured to riverbanks to create complex aquatic habitats, such as deep pools and hiding spots for fish.

• Yellow Rattle

A semi-parasitic plant used in meadow restoration to suppress vigorous grasses and allow wildflowers to grow.