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Greenwich Park scorched in the heatwave

Greenwich Park plans for future heatwaves

The team behind Greenwich Park is developing the park’s landscape for future heatwaves.

The land’s grass was badly scorched last year when the UK was hit by its driest July since 1935. 

Michael Loughnane, Assistant Park Manager at Greenwich Park, said his team had a duty to sustain the park’s ecosystems during the hot summer months.

Loughnane said:  “Last year we saw extremely hot temperatures over a prolonged period. 

“While the good news is that scorched grass regenerates very quickly, we have taken long-term measures to protect the wider parkland.”

The Royal Parks charity that manages the park has since been developing the landscape’s natural resilience by increasing meadow coverage.

An extended irrigation system is being put in place, connected to borehole water rather than mains water in an effort to be as sustainable as possible.

In future heatwaves Greenwich Park will also continue to water vulnerable plants and trees to enure they survive, as well as other plants and displays that are showing signs of extreme stress. 

Copyright Alisdare Hickson and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

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