West London Wildlife

A wide-ranging collection of essays from new and established voices writing about nature, environment, conservation, biodiversity and the challenges that London faces to protect green spaces from urban development as well as the drive towards rewilding.

The first in a series of books about London’s wildlife, this edition focuses on the green spaces of Richmond Deer Park, Barnes Wetlands, Kew Gardens, Gunnersbury Triangle, Hampstead Heath, Crane Park, Chiswick House, Bushy Park and many others.

Ian Alexander has been in love with nature all his life, having at various times been fascinated by lichens, birdwatching, fossils, and dragonflies. He enjoys practical conservation work, gardening, and photographing nature. He lives in Chiswick, blogs about nature, and volunteers at his local nature reserve, Gunnersbury Triangle.

Gary Backler became a member of Friends of the River Crane Environment in 2004, a year after the charity was founded. He has been a Trustee since 2011 and became Chair in 2021. He continues to retain a focus on planning and development issues in the lower Crane valley. In 2012 he set up a programme of regular usage counts of open spaces and paths in the lower Crane, which continues to generate hard data to inform planning and investment decisions.

Wanda Bodnar is a marine geospatial data scientist. She currently works at the Thames Estuary Partnership where she applies spatial data in the context of aquatic habitat conservation, restoration and climate resilience within the Greater Thames Estuary. She also leads stand up paddleboarding (SUP) sessions at a Kew based paddleboarding club called Active360 on the upper Thames Estuary.

Philip Briggs has lived in the borough of Richmond-upon-Thames all his life and developed a love of wildlife from an early age. He has volunteered at the WWT London Wetland Centre since 1998, leading wildlife walks and assisting with wildlife monitoring, particularly bats. Since 2003 he has worked for the Bat Conservation Trust where he manages the National Bat Monitoring Programme, a long-running citizen science project.

Susanne Masters is a botanist specializing in edible plants and their trade around the world. She works with distilleries on ingredient selection and sourcing. Susanne has run workshops and spoken about plants in beverages for organisations including the Boutique Bar Show, Royal Horticultural Society, and Chelsea Physic Garden, Author of Wild Waters and contributor to Kew’s Teas, Tonics, and Tipples’, she has written features for publications including the New York Times, Guardian. Her academic research on wild species in trade is listed on https: //orcid.org

Roger Tichborne, is an author, musician, blogger, studio owner, film maker and campaigner. He has campaigned on environmental issues, dyslexia and other local matters in the London Borough of Barnet, through the widely read Barneteye blog. Recognised as one of The Guardian’s Top London Bloggers in 2011. Recently contributed a chapter on the Darlands Nature Reserve for ＂West London Wildlife＂ on Aurora Books.

Lisa Woodward is the General Manager for London Wetland Centre, looking after the visitors and wildlife, ably supported by an incredible team and over 200 volunteers. Lisa’s background is in charity and visitor attractions, having worked for iconic names such as Kew Gardens and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Her expertise is in commercial operations, but wildlife has a special place in her heart, and running London Wetland Centre is her dream job.