News / water
First-of-a-kind pop-up brings wetland to the inner city
The Festival of Nature’s Wild Weekend is staying true to its name with the creation of an urban wetland that will bring the sights, sounds and smells of this vital watery habitat to Millennium Square.
The sensory installation harks back to the city’s pre-paved environment of 200 years ago when areas in the centre were marshland, fed by the Rivers Avon and Frome.
Created by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), the eight-by-eight metre immersive experience will include reeds, sounds and sculptures evoking wetland wildlife like warblers, water voles and kingfishers.
is needed now More than ever
The 8x8m pop-up wetland will be open over June 14-15, the Festival of Nature’s Wild weekend, and visitors can also learn how to make their own mini wetland – photo: Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Wetlands are one of the world’s most important ecosystems, being among the most biodiverse, and with 40 per cent of plants and animals dependent on them as well as the livelihoods of one billion people and the food security of half the world’s population.
They are also under threat worldwide: the UK has lost over 75 per cent of its inland wetlands in the last 300 years, significantly reducing the natural environment’s capacity to support wildlife, filter water, store carbon and prevent flooding.
Concreting over marshy areas, such as with Canons Marsh, Queen Square and the Redcliffe areas around Millennium Square, increases the city’s risk of flooding as well as removing natural capacity to lock-in carbon and environmental ways to mitigate extreme weather like heatwaves.
Last year the Festival of Nature built and installed living floating ecosystems in the harbour which will help to keep the water clean and increase its biodiversity. This year the festival’s whole programme is dedicated to water – photo: Anna Barclay
Watery habitats in general are critical for supporting wildlife as they move through the landscape. Even small examples such as balcony ponds and bird baths can make a dramatic difference to environmental health.
The Festival of Nature is celebrating water in its 22nd edition which runs from June 7-15.
A programme of over 80 activities and the Wild Weekend, which last year attracted 15,000 visitors, will teach participants why water is so essential for nature and how to facilitate and celebrate it.
The 1001 Homes for Nature campaign encourages festival visitors to get involved in creating their own water habitats and nature solutions at home. The Millennium Square wetland will be open to experience over June 14 and 15.
Main image: Anna Barclay
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