Thames port bosses sign deal to protect river wildlife

A UNIQUE record of wildlife along the Thames has been set up in a deal by London’s commercial port authority with bird conservationists. The deal is a collaboration between the PLA and the RSPB, the first agreement of its kind between a major commercial port authority and an environment charity

A UNIQUE record of wildlife along the Thames has been set up in a deal by London’s commercial port authority with bird conservationists.

The deal is a collaboration between the PLA and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the first agreement of its kind between a major commercial port authority and an environment charity.

It pulls together information on the diverse range of species found along the Thames and all its habitats. The wildlife includes dolphins, seals, fish, marine invertebrates and huge flocks of internationally-important waterbirds.

The pooled information about the Pool of London and beyond is being used by the port authority to balance its dual role of managing commercial shipping while protecting the river’s biodiversity.

The PLA is the statutory body responsible for navigation and safety in the Thames, which supports some of Britain’s most important and sensitive wildlife as well as the biggest collection of internationally protected habitats in Europe.

Yet among all this, the river carries 90,000 sea-going vessels a year.