PLA Awards £50,000 to environmental projects improving the Thames and estuary

The Port of London Authority has awarded almost £50,000 through its Environment Fund to six projects dedicated to caring for the natural environment, restoring habitats, boosting biodiversity, and supporting environment education.

The largest award is of £15,000 and has been granted to two projects. The first is the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, for a project to assess and survey habitats along 25 kilometres of the North Kent coastline. This will help to provide tailored management recommendations to landowners and introduce long-term monitoring to track improvements over time.

The second is for the Lower Lea Biodiversity Project, which will receive funding to revitalise the Cody Dock Reedbed by reirrigating the reed bed to encourage new growth of native species and constructing otter holts and kingfisher banks.

In addition, four other community-based projects has been successful in their funding applications.

The River Thames Boat Project has been awarded £5,675 to deliver its Eco Venturers education programme at Hermitage Community Mooring - giving primary school children the opportunity to learn about the Thames through outdoor experience.

The Isle of Dogs Sea Cadet Unit will receive £2,500 for its Community Plastic Fishing project - combining school workshops with trips on electric, recycled plastic vessels to remove litter from West India Dock while teaching young people about responsible river use.

The Essex Wildlife Trust will also receive funding to support pond creation and habitat restoration - strengthening biodiversity in areas connected to the wider Thames estuary ecosystem.

The Creative Splash project will receive £5,400 to help school children (10-11 year olds) connect with the River Thames via beach clean ups and upcycled creative workshops.

Since its launch in 2020, the PLA Thames Environment Fund has supported 26 projects, investing a total of around £180,000 into community led environmental action, complementing the ambitions of our Thames Vision 2050.