Volunteers who care for the Barnes Common Nature Reserve have pleaded with Extinction Rebellion to drop plans to use the protected area to camp during protests in London.

The Friends of Barnes Common fear the arrival of large groups of protestors will harm the grasslands and wildlife.

XR together with a coalition of campaign groups, charities, NGOs, ethical companies and trade unions are launching a four day protest in London from Friday through to Monday.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on the capital for what has been called 'The Big One' – a protest designed to win a pledge from the government to cancel giving any new licences to explore fossil fuel sources, including oil wells in the North Sea.

The Friends of Barnes Common have written to XR, who promote themselves on the basis of the need to protect the planet against the impact of man-made harm and climate change, to ask them to change their plan.

Dragonfly (Credit Friends of Barnes Common)

In an open letter to XR, the local group state: "We are aware XR members are planning to camp on Barnes Common.

"We believe it is the first time that XR have proposed camping within a designated Nature Reserve, and we want to make sure that everyone is aware of the impact this could have."

The group says camping on the site could cause real harm, pointing out that "Barnes Common is a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.

"It does not have the large tracts of amenity grass suitable for events that some other London parks used by XR can offer: even the fields used for sports are part of a valuable mosaic of habitats essential to the Common's diverse ecology."

The Barnes Common Friends has campaigned and promoted the conservation and biodiversity of this site for over 30 years along with education and wellbeing.

They add: "There are many in Barnes who share your concerns but given that your aims are to conserve the world against the threats of extinction, by camping on Barnes Common, you will potentially be doing the complete opposite by harming the Common's wildlife and its sensitive habitats.

"These include rare, internationally important, lowland dry acid grassland, some of which has been undisturbed for 150 years and is recognised as among the best quality in London.

"Additionally, neutral grasslands, woodlands and wetlands collectively support a population of invertebrates of national significance, along with locally rare and endangered species listed under the local Habitat and Species Action Plans."

They add: "It is early springtime, a critical time of year for the breeding and survival of so much of our ecosystem, from bacteria to fungi, to plants and higher life forms.

"Please help us at Barnes Common Friends by camping elsewhere, where you will not be endangering nature conservation."

The common, which covers 120 acres, is dominated by fine grasses such as Red fescue, Sheeps' fescue, Wavy hair-grass and Early hair-grass.

Summer colour in the orchard (Credit Friends of Barnes Common)

The flowering plants found in these areas are Sheep's sorrel, which forms a reddish carpet in spring, Cats-ear and the attractive lemon-yellow Mouse-ear hawkweed. If you are lucky you can also find Creeping willow, Ling, Sand spurrey, a few Harebells and some yellow Ladies' bedstraw.

One of the rarest and most interesting plants, which isn't known anywhere else in London, is the Burnet rose, which is though to have grown there for more than 300 years.

The trees on the land include Oak and Birch, often with Holly, Hawthorn, Elder, Rowan and Wild cherry. There are also many planted trees including Red oak, Lime and Norway maple, London plane and Chestnut.

The Common used to be much wetter than it is now, and there are a few areas where you can still find Reeds, Purple Moorgrass, Lady's smock and Gipsywort.

Foxes, squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs and small mammals (field mice and voles) are all common in addition to rats. The two types of voles support the tawny owl that hunts on the common every night.

Bird life includes Robins and Wrens, along with Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits, Europe's only pink and black bird, can often be seen in gorse patches.

The Common hosts man varieties of thrush together with two members of the Woodpecker family: the black and white Great Spotted and the tropically-plumaged Green.

XR has been contacted for a comment.