The Newt Conservation Partnership, the NatureSpace scheme delivery partner, has won the prestigious Environmental Enhancement Award at the Ministry of Defence’s Sanctuary Awards for habitat creation and restoration work at Bicester Garrison, known as Project Neptune.
Project Neptune, funded by the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme, is a collaboration between the Bicester Garrison Conservation Group and Newt Conservation Partnership. The project began in 2020 to enhance some of the sites aquatic and terrestrial habitats for freshwater wildlife, including great crested newts. This included the Newt Conservation Partnership creating two new clean water ponds and restoring two waterbodies. The initiative won the prestigious Environmental Enhancement Award for projects focused on wildlife and biodiversity, environmental research, or tackling pollution and contamination issues.
“Project Neptune has been a fantastic collaboration, which we’re really proud of so it’s great to have won this award.
“As with all our work at the Newt Conservation Partnership, Project Neptune is based on the latest scientific evidence and follows conservation best practice to ensure it provides maximum benefits to wildlife. Working with our partners, we’ve transformed degraded aquatic and terrestrial habitats into a rich wildlife site with exceptional biodiversity.”
CEO of the Newt Conservation Partnership, Dr Pascale Nicolet
In Bicester Garrison’s 80th anniversary year, Project Neptune is continuing to provide exceptional habitats for wildlife and supporting the wellbeing of Garrison personnel. The creation of a new wildlife site, which benefits biodiversity and MOD staff was carried out as a celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and is supporting nature well beyond the barracks’ fence line.
“DIO is proud to host the Sanctuary Awards and to publish Sanctuary Magazine to celebrate the positive work taking place throughout Defence on climate change and sustainability.
“DIO takes this work incredibly seriously and we are pleased to continue to contribute to the wider Defence and government sustainability targets.
“Well done to all of the winners and thank you for your contribution to making Defence greener.”
Richard Brooks, Environmental Support and Compliance lead for DIO.
“Defence is the third largest landowner in the UK, I am proud of the innovative work being delivered to create greener ways of working and embedding a culture of sustainability.
“I send my congratulations to all the winners and nominees of this year’s Sanctuary Awards.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace MP
Professor Jeremy Biggs of Freshwater Habitats Trust and Bicester Garrison Conservation Officer Gary Beckett attended the event at The Cabinet War Rooms, Whitehall, London to receive the award today (21 March 2023).
