Rickmansworth Aquadrome Local Nature Reserve

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Three Rivers District Council commissioned Place Services to carry out a bat survey, a riparian mammal survey, and a reptile and amphibian survey at the Rickmansworth Aquadrome. The Aquadrome is a 41-hectare site that includes two man-made lakes, Bury Lake and Batchworth Lake, and is bordered to the north and east by the River Colne. The purpose of the project was to gather information about certain species groups known or suspected to be present within the site, to use that data to inform future management decisions and targets.

Place Services completed a dusk bat roost emergence survey, a night-time bat walkover survey, and three months of static automated bat detectors survey. A water vole survey including habitat suitability analysis was completed, along with an otter survey which included three months of camera traps development. Because of a high potential for human interference with survey methods, the reptile surveys were accomplished via eDNA metabarcoding.

A final report summarised the extensive survey results and provided related species management advice.