Tread Lightly   in Richmond Park
9 ways to help protect the Park and its wildlife
Issue		Why is it a problem?		How you can help
1 Leaving litter		Encourages vermin; if eaten can kill deer and birds (five deer killed a year); is also anti-social.		Please take litter home with you or dispose of it in bins.
2 Barbecues and fires		Major fire risk; barbecues cause damage to trees and grassland.		Do not light barbecues or fires; please call the police immediately if you see one.
3 Removing chestnuts, flora and other objects		Chestnuts are important winter food for deer; removal of flora, fungi and wood upsets the biodiversity of the Park.		Do not remove anything from the Park.
4 Disturbing fallen and dead wood		Damages the habitats of beetles and other insects, invertebrates and plants		Please do not build dens, pile up, dislodge or remove wood.
5 Dumping of pets and plants		The contents of aquaria or garden ponds, spawn, tadpoles terrapins, other pets upset the balance of native species.		Do not release any pets, plants or animals in the Park.
6 Dog waste		Bacteria and parasites are a health threat to wildlife and humans; nutrients damage acid grassland and wild flowers; dog waste is also anti-social.		Please pick up and dispose of dog waste in bins provided.
7 Uncontrolled dogs		Can kill, injure and disturb deer (six deer killed a year), swans, water fowl; scare nesting skylarks; damage ponds.		Keep dogs on leads in designated areas and controlled at all times.
8 Off-road cycling		Damages grass and paths through erosion; disturbs and stresses wildlife.		Cycle only on roads and designated paths (see maps in the Park).
9 Speeding traffic		Accidents kill five to ten deer per year; emissions damage flora; disturbs tranquillity.		Observe the 20 mph speed limit.

About Richmond Park

Richmond Park is the largest urban park in Europe. Created by Charles I as a royal hunting park in 1637, it retains the open grassland and ancient trees from that time and provides an area of peace and tranquility only eight miles from the centre of London.

The Park is open to everyone to enjoy. It offers space for a wide range of activities from cycling and running to walking, observing nature or just doing nothing.

However, the Park contains several fragile ecosystems and is home to thousands of species of fauna and flora, many of which are rare and protected.

It is a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation.

Richmond Park is under increasing pressure from the three million of us who visit it every year. In the last 50 years, the Park has lost many species of wildlife, such as the brown hare, pheasant, grey partridge and numerous wild flowers.

You can help to protect and conserve the Park and its wildlife for your next visit and for future generations.

Please Tread Lightly whatever you are doing in the Park by following the 9 Ways. Otherwise we may destroy the very thing we have come to enjoy.

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