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Management & Research
Reserve Management
Because the fen vegetation grows so vigorously, active management is essential if the variety of habitats is not to be overcome with woody vegetation - as happened in the past. Managing water levels is important, as are other activities, such as scrub removal, to maintain the conservation value of the reserves.
The drains and ditches throughout the Great Fen area can be used to supply water as well as drain it. Rainfall, gravity feeding and pumping from the fen drainage system all play their part in providing water and inflows and outflows are strictly controlled. We will keep drains and pump systems that exist already to maintain higher water levels and support the restoration of wildlife habitats.
Holme Fen is cut across by several drains that take water off adjacent farmland. Unfortunately this means that water is leaking from the reserve and causing it to dry out. In the short term we are seeking to relocate these drains or prevent leakage by some other means (such as plastic lining). In Holme Fen, raising water levels will restrict the development of silver birch and support the peat bog communities that are so valuable.
Research and monitoring
The reserves have been the subject of much scientific research over the years, which is essential for promoting a deeper understanding of the fenland ecosystem. Monitoring of selected plants and animal populations allows the effects of management techniques to be assessed. This includes butterfly and plant transect counts, bird surveying and monitoring of water levels and water quality.
Many species of plants and animals have been brought to the brink of extinction due to fenland drainage, and some species found on this reserve are the few survivors of once widespread populations. In order to restore populations of endangered species, English Nature (now Natural England) started a Species Recovery Programme in 1991. Working in partnership with other organisations and individuals, this Programme sets out to determine the causes of decline and the management needed to put this right. Reintroduction of species to former sites and suitable alternative areas is an important part of the work. Two species at Woodwalton Fen are benefiting from recovery projects, Fen violet and Fen ragwort.
Research has shown that the reason for the decline of Fen violet is usually draining of the habitat, although lack of management can also cause it to die out. Healthy populations of the violet need careful water control, regular ground disturbance and mowing or grazing of the surrounding vegetation. Experimental work at Woodwalton is attempting to perfect such techniques which can be used to ensure the survival of newly-established colonies at other suitable sites for generations to come. The fen violet is now found in only three places in Britain and is in decline in many European countries.
Fen Ragwort was widespread in low-lying fens, but now only a single colony is all that survives in the wild. A population has been introduced to the reserve and is now carefully monitored to provide information on their growth. One problem has been that slugs graze the plants heavily in the early stages.
