Ecological destruction in Nottingham’s most biodiverse cemeteries

It has come to our attention that, during the past month, two of Nottingham’s largest and most biodiverse green spaces — Rock Cemetery and General Cemetery — have undergone extensive and devastating clearance works.

These sites are widely recognised as more biodiverse than any of our parks. They function as vital refuges for wildlife within an increasingly fragmented urban landscape. Yet they have been subjected to what can only be described as ecological vandalism.

The works carried out include:

• Removal of bramble, scrub, and understory vegetation

• Stripping of ivy and ground cover

• Strimming of new growth plant life

• Exposure and disturbance of badger setts

• Felling of dead trees potentially supporting roosting/hibernating bats and also invertebrates

• Clearance of paths and graves beyond what is necessary for access

• Dumping of debris onto grassed areas

• Removal of a native Nottingham heritage planting scheme

All of this has taken place immediately before the spring season, destroying any possibility of flowering plants for pollinators, removing cover and protection for badger cubs and the feasibility of nesting sites for birds before the nesting season, at a time - that is widely known - for disturbance to be minimised, not intensified.  Licenses to undertake any work close to a badger sett are usually granted in the months of September or October.