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Top ten places to spot wildlife

27th Jul 2006

Daft about ducks, crazy for crayfish or wild about water lilies? Explore the finest places to see wildlife on the UK’s canals and rivers with British Waterways’ guide to the top ten places to spot wildlife.

From an urban wildlife oasis in London, wetland birds on the quiet waters of lowland Scotland to the towering aqueducts sheltering bats in Wales, our guide highlights ten areas across the British Isles that combine wonderful wildlife with the beauty and tranquillity of historic waterways.

Britain’s beautiful waterways are important for wild plants and animals and it is essential to preserve our remaining natural heritage for future generations to enjoy. British Waterways takes practical action to protect wild places and encourage wildlife while maintaining the canals and towpaths as fully-working waterways. This includes: maintaining water flow whilst keeping bankside areas for wildlife, managing the towpath margins and hedgerows, planting and maintaining trees, protecting roosting areas used by bats and ensuring canal banks have places where water voles can live.

Mark Robinson, British Waterways’ national ecology manager, comments: "From the electric blue flash of a kingfisher to the moonlit dance of a bat, our waterways are home to a rich variety of wildlife and the guide provides a snapshot of wonderful wildlife places from British Waterways’ network of over 2,200 miles of canals and rivers."

Last updated: 22/10/2008