A striking new wooden sculpture has been unveiled in Richmond Park to shine a spotlight on biodiversity found in decaying wood.

Standing at five metres tall, the carved oak totem pole appeared next to Sheen Gate car park on 12 April.

It was commissioned by The Royal Parks as part of the Help Nature Thrive project and celebrates the crucial role dead wood plays in supporting healthy woodland ecosystems.

The sculpture features intricately carved depictions of woodland creatures such as stag beetles, bracket fungi, centipedes, bats and woodpeckers – all of which rely on deadwood habitats for survival.

The oak used for the sculpture came from a tree within the park that died from Acute Oak Decline.

Rather than remove it entirely, the trunk was left in situ and transformed by renowned wood sculptor Dan Cordell.

As it naturally weathers over time, it will also provide real-life shelter and sustenance for the very species it depicts.

The rest of the tree has been repurposed into timber to protect young oak saplings across the park.

Help Nature Thrive Project Manager, Charlotte Cass, said: "Richmond Park is a national nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest thanks to its rich diversity of habitats. 

"This beautiful sculpture brings to life one of the unsung heroes of wildlife habitat – dead wood – and some of the wonderful creatures that live or feed on it. We hope that visitors will look at hollow logs and broken branches in a new light."

Wood Sculptor, Dan Cordell, told Nub News: "I hope for visitors to take anything they can from it, to engage with it, rather than ignore it or maybe feel art is not for them. 

"I hope it to be educating. Both in terms of showing how sculpture can be produced from a dead tree in a reductive process, and educating about species that live in deadwood habitats.

"By massively enlarging some of these species featured they become hard to ignore, it will hopefully spark interest in their fascinating lives and importance in the woodland ecosystem and Carbon cycle."

The project has been made possible thanks to funding from players of the People's Postcode Lottery.