Great Fen Project

Great Fen Project

coord|52|28|N|0|12|W |region:GB |display=title

The Great Fen Project is a habitat restoration project being undertaken in county of Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. It is one of the largest restoration projects in the country, and aims to create a 3,700 hectare wetland and will connect Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve coord|52|27|N|0|11|W |region:GB_type:landmark |name=Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve with Holme Fen National Nature Reserve coord|52|29|N|0|13|W |region:GB_type:landmark |name=Holme Fen National Nature Reserve to create a very large site with conservation benefits for wildlife and socio-economic benefits for people.

Woodwalton Fen is an internationally important site for its communities of wetland plants and animals and this is reflected in its designation as a Ramsar site and Special Area of Conservation.

The project is impressive in its ambition and vision. It aims to combine nature conservation and management with tourism and other income-generating activities. It could also play a strategic role by storing winter water for the protection of the homes, farms and businesses in the area.

This is a long-term project managed in partnership by the [http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ Environment Agency] , [http://www.huntsdc.gov.uk/ Huntingdonshire District Council] , [http://www.middlelevel.gov.uk/ Middle Level Commissioners] , [http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ Natural England] and the [http://www.wildlifebcnp.org/ Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough] .

Woodwalton Fen

Woodwalton Fen is one of Britain's oldest nature reserves and occupies a substantial site of 208 ha north-east of Huntingdon. Its international importance has been repeatedly recognised in its designations as a Ramsar site, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a National Nature ReserveNNR).

The site features a mosaic of habitats that are interlaced with stretches of tranquil waterway and footpaths. It soon becomes clear to see why the Ramsar Convention celebrated Woodwalton as as a 'particularly good example of a near natural wetland, which is characteristic of the biogeographical region'.

Woodwalton is a key component of the Great Fen Project and features a variety of fen habitats. The result is an attractive reserve with an impressive list of rare plants and animals. Habitats include Purple Moor Grass meadows, tall fen and scrub communities, woodland, and other assemblages of grasses, sedges, herbs and mosses.

The site also supports 47 red data book species of invertebrates and two very rare plants. Fen violet is found in only two other places in Britain, whilst Fen woodrush is unique to the Great Fen in the UK. The total list of plants, insects, birds, and mammals runs into thousands.

Holme Fen

Holme Fen is situated south of Peterborough, around 5km north-west of Woodwalton Fen and on the south-western shore of the former Whittlesey Mere. The Fen occupies a crescent-shaped site approximately 2.5 km long by 1.5 km wide and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Geological Conservation Review Site (GCR).

Holme Fen is the largest Silver birch woodland in lowland Britain. More importantly it contains approximately 5 hectares of rare acid grassland and heath and a hectare of remnant raised bog, an echo of the habitat that would have dominated the area centuries ago. This is the most south-easterly bog of its type in Britain.

Holme is a key component of the Great Fen Project for it approximately marks the south-western limit of Stage 2 of the Project plan. The reserve is open to the public throughout the year.

External links

* [http://www.greatfen.org.uk/ Project website]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Great raft spider — An adult female great raft spider on the surface of a water pool Conservation status …   Wikipedia

  • Great Eastern Main Line — GEML redirects here. For the Spanish airport, see Melilla Airport. Great Eastern Main Line National Express East Anglia class 360 at Marks Tey. Overview …   Wikipedia

  • Cranes of Great Britain — Cranes are large, long legged and long necked birds of the order Gruiformes. Two species occur as wild birds in Britain: the Common Crane, a scarce migrant and very localised breeding resident, and the Sandhill Crane, an extreme vagrant from… …   Wikipedia

  • Little Ouse Headwaters Project — The Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP) was set up in 2002 by local residents to promote conservation and enjoyment of the fenland habitats bordering the upper reaches of the River Little Ouse, which lies on the Norfolk Suffolk border. The site …   Wikipedia

  • Deeping Fen — Coordinates: 52°43′42″N 0°12′07″W / 52.7284°N 0.20205°W / 52.7284; 0.20205 …   Wikipedia

  • Railway electrification in Great Britain — describes the past and present electrification systems used to supply traction current to railways and tramways in Great Britain with a chronological record of development, a list of lines using each system, and a history and a technical… …   Wikipedia

  • Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve — is located on the Norfolk/Suffolk border between Lakenheath and Hockwold cum Wilton adjacent to Lakenheath railway station. Until 1995, when purchased by the RSPB, the land now forming the reserve was heavily farmed arable land. Since then, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway — M GNJR device The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, (M GN) was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the Great Northern Railway (GNR) in eastern England, affectionately known as the Muddle and Get Nowhere to generations of …   Wikipedia

  • The Fens — The Fens, also known as the Fenland, is a geographic area in eastern England, in the United Kingdom. The Fenland primarily lies around the coast of the Wash; it reaches into two Government regions (East Anglia and the East Midlands), four modern… …   Wikipedia

  • Internal drainage board — An internal drainage board (IDB) is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”