May 12 - Stunning Display Of Flowers Following Upper Rock Clearing Programme
The ongoing works to control dense vegetation on the Upper Rock and provide clearings and open roadsides is having the expected positive results. The removal of thick impenetrable scrub, usually made up of very few species, along stretches of the Upper Rock, including roadsides, has allowed this spring to show the biggest display of wild flowers for many years.
These flowers, apart from being pleasing to the eye, provide habitat for invertebrates, which then support birds and lizards further up the food chain. They offer ideal feeding habitat also for Barbary partridges, while Barbary macaques are already to be seen foraging on the open ground. The loss of open foraging habitat in the past has been suggested as one of the reasons for the macaques shifting to urban areas, and this initiative is part of the plan to reverse this trend and an integral part of the developing Upper Rock Management Plan.
Dr. John Cortes, Minister for the Environment, commented, "The Upper Rock forms the bulk of Gibraltar's countryside. We have been working hard on improving its appearance for the increasing number of people who use it for recreation. At the same time, this benefits our fascinating wildlife, for which we carry an international responsibility."
Further work is planned to continue to improve the Upper Rock for the both people and wildlife.
