Released Green Islands in Bristol Harbour

Two large floating platforms covered with 500 native plants have been launched in a city harbor to help improve water quality.

The two islands, which measure around 17m in length, were created at the Bristol Nature Festival and are the first of a series of platforms to be floated in the water this year.

It is part of a £500,000 project to regenerate the Capricorn Quay area of ​​Bristol Harbour.

Savita Willmott, CEO of the Natural History Consortium which runs the festival, said the ecosystems were created in response to “the challenges around our waterways”.

“They’re there to make the water cleaner and better for the wildlife and the people in the harbor,” she added.

Ellen Hebdon, operations manager for Biomatrix Water Solutions who designed the platforms, said: “They’re giving nature a structure to do what it does best, so we’re bringing back habitat above and below the water.”

Above the water, floating islands create a habitat for pollinators, birds, bats and invertebrates, she said.

“Underwater you have a whole wilderness of microorganisms that bring back underwater biofilms.”

Biofilms help recycle organic matter and contribute to water quality as well as providing food for aquatic life.

Ms Hebdon said the platforms “bring back that green space in a busy urban environment”.

Ms Hebdon said over time the rigs would clean up the water as the plants get nutrients from other unwanted plants such as algae, causing them to die out.

The floating platforms were planted with species including Raging Robin, Carex Juncus, Water Forget-Me-Not and Irises.

Ms Hebdon said they would be treated like regular gardens, requiring weeding and litter clearing.

The islands were made from recycled materials and were completely recyclable, she added.

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