If you’ve seen the latest episode of Wild Isles you’ll have witnessed some of the amazing wildlife that our wetlands support. Today we’re venturing out into the wonderful wetlands of the British Isles to hear from Julianne Evans, Head of Ecology at the RSPB, to discover how important these habitats are for wildlife and people and what the RSPB is doing to care for them.
The term wetlands covers a great variety of habitats – from rivers and streams to reedbeds, marshes and coastal mudflats and many others in between. All of these habitats have one important feature in common – water – it sustains life and we, and other nature, cannot live without it.
Fish such as eels need rivers to migrate between the freshwater realm and the sea. Birds like Bittern, Water Rail and Bearded Tit call reedbeds home. A huge number of invertebrates rely on freshwater habitats – adult dragonflies dart above rivers and ponds while their juvenile forms lurk beneath the surface. And then there are coastal wetlands where the land meets the sea – muddy landscapes home to a range of invertebrates and other wildlife that in turn act as a vital source of food for huge numbers of wading birds such as Knot, Dunlin and Oystercatcher. People also benefit from wetlands, as a source of drinking water and irrigation, for recreation such as angling, as a place to spend time in nature, as an important way of capturing carbon and providing protection against the impacts of flooding and storm surges.
Working with wadersWading birds and wetlands have been a theme throughout my career. During my undergraduate degree I studied the behaviour of wading birds on the Forth estuary in Scotland. And then, my first job involved collecting data on more wading birds – this time on the Severn estuary in Wales. My days were spent out on the mudflats, in all weathers, from dawn until dusk, armed only with a fishing umbrella, a seat and my binoculars. I was fully immersed in this muddy wetland environment – quite literally at times - measuring mud and observing the birds and it gave me an appreciation of the importance of our wetland habitats. I went on to organise low tide waterbird surveys throughout the UK for the BTO and became a member of the International Wader Study Group.
Fast forward to today and I head up the RSPB’s Ecology team – we monitor and support wildlife on RSPB nature reserves, working with colleagues to ensure that habitats are well-managed for a diverse array of species. I am also the Chair of the RSPB’s Coastal and Wetland Nature Recovery Group – a team of experts from across the organisation who look out for the habitats and special species that our wetlands support.
Mudflats on the Severn estuary. © Our Media (rspb-images.com).
Wetland reserves brimming with lifeMany of our nature reserves contain the key element of water, such as lowland wet grassland, reedbed, fens, bogs and mires, wet woodland, coastal lagoons, intertidal and river habitats. Our coastal wetland reserves support large numbers of wading birds and other waterbirds. These wetlands are important not only for resident species, but also for the birds that migrate to, from and through the British Isles each year. Our mild winter climate means that muddy wetlands generally remain unfrozen over winter, which allows birds to continue to forage for invertebrate food in the sediments.
As well as being important refuges for wetland wildlife, our nature reserves are places to test and demonstrate new methods of wetland management. Such methods can then help us and other land managers to create and maintain a broader range of wetland habitats supporting a wide range of species. Restoration and management of varied and widespread wetland habitats is attracting new natural colonists from Europe such as Spoonbill, egrets and Black-winged Stilt.
RSPB nature reserves support a wide range of wetland habitats, including blanket bog such as here at RSPB Forsinard Flows. © RSPB (rspb-images.com).
Supporting wetland habitats and speciesLike many other ecosystems, our wetlands and the species that rely on them face a number of threats. These include the loss of wetlands to development such as coastal barrages; climate change leading to sea level rise and coastal erosion; pollution and over abstraction of water. Globally, coastal water birds are one of the most threatened groups of migratory birds.
As Chair of the RSPB’s Coastal and Wetlands Nature Recovery Group, I’m in the fortunate position of having an overview of some of the inspiring projects that the RSPB and partners are working on to secure a future for wetland habitats and the species that call them home. Here is just a small selection:
Helping blanket bog communities RSPB Forsinard Flows reserve lies in the Flow Country of northern Scotland. The Flow Country is of international importance for its blanket bog habitats. These wetlands support rare species and are important stores of carbon. However, some Flow Country habitats have been lost to non-native forestry plantations which were established in the 1970s and 80s in a drive to produce more timber. The plantations caused the peat soils to dry out, releasing carbon and causing a loss of wildlife habitats. Drainage for agriculture has been another pressure on this landscape. Work is now underway to restore these blanket bog habitats. The RSPB and partners have been working to restore the peat bog habitats by removing forestry plantations and blocking drainage ditches, which is allowing water levels to return to their original levels, benefitting Sphagnum mosses as well as wading birds such as Golden Plover, Dunlin and Greenshank. Find out more: https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/forsinard-flows/
Sphagnum moss and Common Sundew at RSPB Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve © Paul Turner (rspb-images.com).
Working across borders to protect peatland habitatsOur work to restore blanket bog habitats in the Flow Country is not the only success that we’ve had for peat-rich wetland habitats. The Co-operation Across Borders for Biodiversity (CABB) project has delivered some amazing results for peatland habitats over the last six years in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland. This includes restoring over 3,000 ha of blanket bog and safeguarding homes for almost 900 pairs of breeding wading birds in Lough Erne, Donegal and at Gruinart on Islay.
The project has also helped to lock away 4.5 million tonnes of carbon thanks to peatland restoration work carried out across the Ox Mountains near Sligo, Muirkirk in Ayrshire and Garron Plateau in Antrim. And more than 170ha of land has been managed for butterflies as part of the project – including providing suitable habitat for the Marsh Fritillary butterfly at sites including Montiaghs Moss. Find out more: https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/rspb-ni-groundbreaking-cross-border-conservation-project-credited-with-revitalising-over-39000-hectares-of-peatland/
The Marsh Fritillary butterfly was one of many species to benefit from peatland restoration work as part of the CABB project. © Patrick Cashman (rspb-images.com).
Restoring river floodplainsRSPB Insh Marshes in the Cairngorms is an important floodplain habitat of the River Spey. The historical attempt to drain some of Insh Marshes and the decline of grazing in the area had allowed the open floodplain habitat to deteriorate, with too much encroaching willow scrub and rank grassland. As part of the Cairngorms Connect project we’re working with partners and the local community to restore the floodplain. Work so far has involved strategically installing nine spruce tree trunks in the River Tromie. The tree trunks will help to create pools, slow the flow of water and allow sediment build-up which provides feeding and spawning habitat for fish. Find out more: https://cairngormsconnect.org.uk/projects/insh
Protecting coastal wetlandsThe coastal wetlands of the British Isles are important for migratory bird species – this includes the wetlands of the east coast of England – the stretch of coastline from the Humber to the Thames estuary supports internationally significant numbers of 155 different bird species and hosts over one million birds in winter. These wetlands support internationally important numbers of 29 bird species – including Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Bar-tailed Godwit. Given the importance of these wetlands for birds as well as their important role in capturing carbon, flood defence, fisheries and tourism, the RSPB has been working with partners to give England’s east coast wetlands the recognition that they deserve – by proposing them to be added to the UK’s tentative World Heritage list – the first stage in becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site. This recognition would increase awareness of these globally important sites and their habitats and their vital role as a safe network of sites for migratory birds trekking up and down the East Atlantic flyway every year. Find out more: https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/rspb-england/posts/a-bid-to-make-the-uk-s-wild-bird-superhighway-a-new-world-heritage-site
The east coast wetlands of England support many migratory bird species, including Knot. © Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com).
Improving important wetland habitats LIFE on the Edge is a four-year EU LIFE project led by the RSPB with the National Trust, working to increase the area and quality of target coastal wetland sites in England. This includes improving the condition of freshwater marsh and reedbed habitats and creating new islands in the wetlands at RSPB Titchwell to benefit a range of breeding and wintering birds. Work to improve wetland habitats including saltmarshes, seabird islands, freshwater marshes and reedbeds, is also being carried out at other sites including in north Kent, the Solent and Morecambe Bay. Visit the LIFE on the Edge website to read about more of the brilliant work that this project is doing to enhance and create more habitats for our coastal wildlife: https://www.projectlote.life/
Our wild wetlandsIf I want to feel in touch with nature, then wetlands are the places I choose to go. Habitats such as estuaries and mudflats are easy to overlook and undervalue as large muddy expanses, but they are key to life and support so much wildlife – both in the British Isles and across the world. And if you spend time around them, you’ll appreciate their value for us and for a whole host of other species. Freshwater wetlands and the areas around them are fantastic places to visit in spring when they are teeming with insect life, which in turn attracts large numbers of birds such as Swifts and Swallows. It’s no surprise really that in the past, people thought that Swallows hibernated in ponds – after all we often first see them over waterbodies in spring and again in autumn when we say farewell.
Freshwater wetlands can be a great place to spot spring arrivals such as Swifts, which feed on the plentiful insect supplies. © Andy Hay (rspb-images.com).
What can you do to help?If you can, get out and experience wetland habitats for yourself – be that at your local lakes, a reedbed on a nature reserve or out at the coast where freshwaters meet the sea. Or create your own wetland - even the smallest pond or water feature can be a haven for the wildlife on your doorstep - you’ll be astonished at how quickly wildlife moves in. Appreciate the nature that calls our watery habitats home.
And if Wild Isles inspires you to do more, then find out about the local conservation groups operating near you. Find out whether they are actively involved in any projects supporting wetland wildlife and get involved. Visit an RSPB reserve where you can see a wide range of wetlands; you could find out about volunteering there, or even donate to support our activities. Visit Save our Wild Isles to discover more ways to help nature.
Continue readingFind out more about the RSPB’s wetland work in our Wild Isles:Wild Isles Episode Four – The UK’s fabulous freshwaters Want to see the species featured on Wild Isles Episode 4? Here's where you can find some in England! BBC Wild Isles - Episode 4 - Freshwater A Beaver brief - nature's ecosystem engineers Wetlands Life on the Edge The UK’s bird superhighway should be a World Heritage site Watch your step - to help beach nesting birds Flow Country World Heritage bid enters new phase with submission delivery to UNESCO
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