News / floating harbour
Floating wetland providing new habitat for birds and butterflies
A new floating wetland in Bristol’s harbour is providing a habitat for wildlife like birds, otters and butterflies.
Thousands of aquatic plants have been installed on the wetland, outside Capricorn Quay opposite the SS Great Britain, in an innovative way of fighting the decline in wildlife.
Six other similar wetlands are also planned by Bristol City Council.
They form part of the comprehensive action plan over the next three years to help the environment, sparked after concerns about the alarming loss in wildlife.
In Bristol for example, songbird populations, like swifts and starlings, have dropped by more than 96 per cent.
Thousands of plants have been installed on a floating wetland on the harbour
The last action plan ran from 2021 until 2025, after councillors declared an “ecological emergency”.
This included creating 80 hectares of new wetland at Hallen Marsh as part of the flood defences work in Avonmouth, creating new homes for voles, newts and barn owls.
An update was given to councillors on the environment policy committee who approved the latest plan running from 2026 until 2028.
More of these floating wetlands could soon be created too, “where possible”.
Kit Beaumont, ecological emergency co-ordinator, said: “These have been really popular. They’ve had a real visual impact and demonstration of what we can do in an innovative way.
“We’ve so far installed a total of 700 square metres, which incorporates over 6,000 native plants and 24 trees, and have created a rich new habitat within the Floating Harbour.”
Plant roots on the floating wetland provide nursery habitats for fish, and integrated pools give access for diving birds and otters.
It also creates a wildlife corridor for pollinators like butterflies and bees.
An additional 5,580 square metres of habitat is planned across six locations in the harbour, with work due to begin in 2028.
Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
