WOORGREENS Nature Reserve in the Forest of Dean is continuing to flourish as a key wildlife habitat following conservation efforts to create new freshwater ponds for protected species.

The site, managed by Forestry England, is home to a rich variety of species, making it an important haven for wildlife in the region.

Its diverse landscape of heathland, woodland, scrub, and wetlands provides ideal conditions for great crested newts, along with other amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, and birds.

As part of ongoing conservation work, the Newt Conservation Partnership has worked with Forestry England to create two complexes of clean water ponds to support great crested newts and improve the diversity of freshwater habitats at the reserve.

The ponds, created in 2020 as part of a wider ecological project, are already proving to be a great success. Local newts have taken full advantage of the ponds, using them as a breeding ground, while various species of aquatic plants are flourishing in the nutrient-rich waters.

Last week, central team lead Alex Harcourt from the Newt Conservation Partnership and NatureSpace senior district licensing officer Katie Rees visited Woorgreens with officers from Forest of Dean District Council and Cotswold District Council to check on the most recently completed ponds.

The visit marked the first Habitat Suitability Index survey on the new ponds, assessing their quality and suitability for amphibians.

Signs of spring were also spotted during the visit, with frog spawn found in one of the older ponds — a positive indication of a healthy and thriving ecosystem.

The work forms part of a wider programme to boost biodiversity and protect the great crested newt population in the area.

Further details on the project’s progress can be found in the Newt Conservation Partnership’s latest monitoring report.