In March 2015 Oxfordshire County Council officially designated the western half of the Trap Grounds (a mosaic of woodland, ponds, grassland, and scrubland) as a Local Wildlife Site, to complement the LWS status already accorded to the eastern (reedbed) half of the site. The area in question was already protected as a recreational resource by its registration as a Town Green in 2007, but the new designation endorses the wildlife value of the site and ensures that the habitats of the resident reptiles, amphibians, and birds cannot be supplanted by football pitches or a skateboard park. The site has been granted LWS status because of the diversity of its habitats, and especially its important habitats of reed bed and wet woodland; its communities of rare or uncommon species; its connectivity with Port Meadow and the canal; its value for the appreciation of nature; and its value for learning. The Friends of the Trap Grounds continue to manage the whole site in partnership with the City Council.
