The Ramco and Hart Wetland Group

23/08/2024

The felling of a tree should be carefully considered, whether it is to build a road or a house or because the leaves pollute the roof and block the drainage system. Trees offer numerous benefits that should be considered:

🌳 **CO2 absorption and oxygen production:** One tree absorbs about 22 kg of CO2 per year and produces enough oxygen for two people. This contributes significantly to improving air quality.

🌿 **Soil stabilization:** With its deep roots, a tree stabilizes the soil and prevents erosion. The roots improve the soil structure and increase the water retention capacity of the soil.

🌳 **Climate regulation:** Trees reflect and absorb some solar radiation, which helps to cool the environment. A single tree can have the cooling effect of ten air conditioners.

🌿 **Cloud formation and precipitation:** Through evaporation, trees contribute to cloud formation and thus have a positive influence on the local microclimate and precipitation.

🌳 **Soil fertility:** Leaves that fall to the ground decompose and serve as food for the soil. This promotes soil fertility and supports the growth of other plants.

🌿 **Nutrient cycling:** Trees provide sugars to the mycelium in exchange for nutrients, which promotes soil life and supports ecosystem health.

🌳 **Air purification:** Trees absorb dust and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, which significantly improves air quality.

🌿 **Habitat:** Trees provide habitat and food for a variety of animals, including birds, insects and rodents, thus promoting biodiversity.

🌳 **Sound and visual protection:** Trees can act as a natural sound and visual barrier, which is particularly beneficial in urban areas.

🌿 **Shade and protection:** Trees provide shade and protection from UV radiation, which pleasantly cools the local microclimate.

Additionally, it can be mentioned:

📊 **Economic benefits:** Urban trees can increase property values and reduce energy costs by providing natural cooling.

📈 **Health benefits:** Spending time near trees and green spaces reduces stress, improves mental health and promotes physical activity.

**Conclusion:** In addition to CO2 reduction, a tree provides freshness, water and oxygen. Trees are an indispensable technology that can save us! Plant trees, plant hedges. 👍

Read More: https://diaryamazing.com

05/05/2024

05/05/2024

Ramco Lagoon update on the birdlife living around the fringes of the lagoon proper. Some of the birds seen in the last week aside from black swans, masked lapwings and various duck species have been the Banded Stilts, Caspian Terns, Black Fronted Dotterels, Fairy Wrens, Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike and Ibis.

23/04/2024

The Ramco Lagoon refill is well underway with water pushing across to the eastern end more fully over the weekend.
Water birds such as dotterels, black swans, masked lapwings various ducks, terns along with other bird species, are returning to feed in the shallow water as moves into the cracks in the clay and around the edges as the depth increases. It is well worth taking some time and a set of binoculars and sitting for awhile to watch what birds come and go. This transition whilst the lagoon fills is attractive to particular bird species that come for a time then move on again.

12/04/2024

The Ramco Lagoon regulator has now been opened fully so we should see an acceleration in the rate of fill in the coming days.

The Hart Lagoon Regulator remains closed at this stage however will be opened in due course to fill this wetland also.

09/04/2024

Regulator now partially open refilling Ramco Lagoon. Hart Lagoon will also be opened shortly and will provide an update once done.

09/04/2024

From this to this!
The refill commenced yesterday at Ramco Lagoon and water is moving quickly across the surface submerging those deep cracks.
The effective drying of the lagoon floors has killed off the carp and will assist the emergence of vegetation on the lagoon floors again encouraging birds back to breed as we have seen previously.
Water will also be pushing up under the surface around the edges of the lagoons so it will be very interesting to see the impact of this on the new trees which have grown post the flood of 2022. Hart Lagoon is also going to be opened and will update once this is also completed.

29/01/2024

The dry is underway!

The regulators at both Hart and Ramco Lagoons are now closed and the drying process of the Lagoon floors is well underway, particularly at Hart Lagoon which was closed off prior to Christmas. Ramco Lagoon was shut on January 15th.

The dry allows the Lagoon floor to be exposed to the atmosphere and sunlight encouraging the break down of organic matter that has accumulated whilst full. The carp caught within the lagoon will die as the water evaporates and once the gates are opened to allow the lagoons to refill, vegetation within the lagoons has a chance to regenerate without the pressure of large European carp within the wetland.

You can see in the photo below the lagoon floor drying and cracking open. It has been a couple of summers since this was possible due to the high flows.
Once the lagoons are again full and vegetation re-establishes both in and around the lagoon, waterbirds such as black swans may return in greater volumes along with other bird life.