Water Violet Hottonia palustris in Middle Great Drain 1984
On the 25th September this year we had a visit from Mike Bendix who was revisiting the fen after a lapse of many years. This was a red-letter day, ranking along side the two visits we have had from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. It was back in 1960 that Mike Bendix, along with five others, sat in a green, corrugated iron bird hide on Redgrave and Lopham Fens and decided that the area was so important to wildlife that something should be done to protect it. The naturalists and wildlife conservationists of today owe a lot to people like Mike Bendix who were far-sighted enough to actively do something about protecting and managing important wildlife sites like Redgrave, and this was at a time when these ideas were less fashionable than they are today.
The major impetus for these efforts to safeguard Redgrave's future came from core members of The Suffolk Naturalists' Society and for a short period this organisation effectively took over the management of the fen. However, it was felt that another specialist organisation, whose main objective was primarily to manage nature reserves, should be set up to look after Redgrave and Lopham Fens. In 1961 the Suffolk Trust for Nature Conservation, later to become The Suffolk Wildlife Trust, was formed and Redgrave and Lopham Fens became its first wildlife reserve
In the early 1960's Redgrave was a wetland with a rich and diverse wildlife. But already at that time there were signs that something was wrong and things were changing. Prior to the 1960's this 300-acre valley fen, the largest in the country, had a complex hydrology which was characterised by groundwater discharge all through the year. The water rose to the surface of the fen by the effects of artesian pressure through complex layers of gravels, sands, clays, silts and peat. The seepage of water occurred mostly around the peat margins at the head of the valley forming the source of the river Waveney. The water was highly calcareous and very low in nutrient and it produced a species rich open sedge fen characterised by Black Bog-rush (Schoenus nigricans). The edges of the fen had a complex water chemistry and produced a mosaic of fen types from calcareous mire to acid heath communities.
The valley is covered in deep peat, which had been cut and carted off to be burnt by the local villages for many centuries. Great Fen-sedge (Cladium mariscus) is found in and around the old peat diggers' pools and forms the main habitat for the fens most famous resident, the Great Raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius). This is one of only two sites in the country where this spider is found and it is surprising, considering its large size that it was only officially identified here in 1956 by Dr Eric Duffey. For many years it was the only site in the country known to have this spider until identified in the Pevensey Levels, Sussex in 1988.
Great Raft Spider Dolomedes plantarius
From the early 1960's the fen began to change, only very slowly at first, but by the 1980's the changes were obvious. The main culprit for this change was the lack of water, brought about by the sinking of a bore hole within metres of the fen margin. This bore hole has been extracting 4.5 million litres a day from the chalk aquifer below the fen since 1960. The river Waveney was also deep dredged at about this time and both these factors have resulted in the drying out of the surface peat. The original complex hydrology has been replaced by winter floodwater from agricultural land to the north, bringing nutrient rich water onto the fen. This was never a feature in the past and has only occurred with the advent of extensive land drainage within the catchment area. All this has had a dramatic effect on the wildlife of the fen. The diversity of flora and fauna has been drastically reduced.
The Suffolk Wildlife Trust campaigned for many years to persuade the authorities controlling the water abstraction that they were responsible for the decline of the fen. However, it was not until the privatisation of the water companies and the subsequent review of water abstraction licences in the early 1990's that any real progress was made. Finally, the results of a series of reports, commissioned by the water authorities, effectively proved that the bore hole was removing groundwater inputs to the fen. A consortium of organisations was then formed: Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), who operate the bore hole; The Environment Agency (EA), responsible for the River Waveney and abstraction licensing; Suffolk Wildlife Trust, managers of the fen and English Nature, managers of the fen in partnership with the Trust.
An application was made to the European Union Life Fund for funding to remove the bore hole and restore the fen. An award of £1.4 million was made towards the total agreed budget of £3.2 million. The remaining funds were provided by EA (£0.78 million) and ESW (£1.2 million). £0.8 million were made available for the fen restoration and the remainder to be spent on river restoration and bore hole relocation costs.
The major restoration work began on the fen in 1994. There were a number of objectives that were targeted to be achieved over the next four years. These were all laid out in a comprehensive management plan.
The lowering of the water table had encouraged invasion by trees and scrub, and by the early 1990's less than a quarter of Redgrave could be regarded as true open fen. The Trust had been making valiant efforts over many years to contain the progress of trees and scrub but it needed the considerable financial resources of the Project to push the scrub back to where it was thirty years ago. At the time of writing this article 120 acres of scrub has been cleared. There remains a further 8 acres to complete the targets set in 1994 and that will be felled during this winter 1998/1999. The visual impact of this work has been dramatic, creating a landscape not seen at Redgrave for forty years.
The other effect of lack of water on the fen has been the drying out and degradation of the surface peat. The result of this break down is to produce far higher level of fertility on the fen surface and has resulted in the loss of many of the fen species. Using David Bellamy's work from the late 1950's it is possible observe the decline in the fens flora; much of what he recorded then does not exist in those plots today. At the start of the Project thousands of peat samples were taken from all over the fen and examined by Dr Bryan Wheeler and his team from Sheffield University. From this work it was possible to identify those areas where the peat was most degraded. It was decided that in those areas the surface peat should be stripped away. This would expose undegraded peat which would support the original plant species. 35.5 hectares of the fen were identified for stripping and so far 25 hectares has been completed. This operation has also brought great changes to the fen and its wildlife. Plants have recolonised the scrapes and created food supply for numerous other species. The dragonfly and damselfly populations have exploded, wader and duck populations have also increased dramatically and everyday something interesting turns up. It was particularly rewarding to watch a Hobby hunting swallows over the fen during the latter part of this summer. A flock of Ruff also dropped in for a few days on the scrapes of Little Fen.
Now that the bulk of the restoration work is over the great challenge is to maintain the open fen and encourage it to improve as a place for wildlife. Traditionally this would have been achieved by a combination of mowing and grazing. Although mowing will always form a part of this management, the bulk of the fen will be grazed. Money and resources have been the major factor in moving the management in this direction, but even so grazing is increasingly becoming an accepted way to manage wetlands.
The three large areas of open fen that exist today are all ring-fenced making it possible for grazing to take place over much of the fen. After much research it was decided that cattle, sheep and horses would be used. A local farmer supplies the cattle, which are 'Sussex', a small, red-polled beef breed and these have proved effective. The Trust has its own flock of 40 Hebridean sheep which graze successfully in the wettest of conditions.
The experiment with horses began with 12 New Forest ponies in May 1994. These animals were bought by the Project direct from the New Forest. The experiment proved that horses are more aggressive grazers than either sheep or cattle and will force their way into every part of the fen. However, there were a number of features about the New Forest ponies that made them difficult to manage. Their temperament was unpredictable, their feet did not stand up to the wet conditions and their social structure proved unsuitable. It was therefore decided to look for another breed of horse to replace them.
The animal finally selected to replace the New Forest pony was the Tarpan. These horses were seen by the Trust's director, Derek Moore, grazing on the Biebzra marshes in Poland. He felt that they would be ideal for grazing Redgrave and Lopham Fens. Subsequent research showed that they were being used by conservation organisations in Holland. After a visit to both Holland and Poland it was decided to import, on loan, 4 mares and buy one stallion from a private herd owned by the conservationist Marek Borkowski.
Tarpan ponies in Redgrave Fen 1997
It is generally agreed that the Tarpan (Equus callabus gmelini Antonius) is one of three types of primitive wild horse that evolved in Europe. The Tarpan became extinct; the last one died in Munich Zoo in 1887. In the 1930's an attempt to rebreed the Tarpan was begun by a Professor Lutz Heck in Berlin Zoo and continued in 1936 by Prof. Vetulai of Pozan University with the support of the Polish government. This work continues to this day in the Bialowieza Forest and in the Popielno Forest. The resulting horse, which is seen at Redgrave today, is an excellent example of primitive vigour; it is long lived, it copes with harsh conditions and it's a prolific breeder. It's black, hard hooves enable it to stand in water for prolonged periods. It is a good forager, eating virtually anything. The animal has a wonderful temperament which originates from their strong social structure. They are easy to handle and there are no worries about them coming into contact with visitors to the fen. The herd is a matriarchal society where every animal makes way for the lead mare Jedlina. The breeding programme over the last three years has increased the herd to 15; 4 original Polish mares, another mare imported from Holland and 10 offspring, 5 fillies, 2 colts and 3 geldings. There are another 5 males grazing on the RSPB reserve at Minsmere.
Monitoring of a project of this size is vital and a huge amount of information has been collected so far and will continue to be collected for years to come. Every effort has been taken to restore Redgrave and Lopham Fen to the position it has held as the premier valley fen site in East Anglia and to justify its status as an SSSI, NNR, and RAMSAR and proposed SAC. The Restoration Project has been a great example of successful co-operation between the public and private sector. The fruits of all the hard work that has been put in by so many people will begin to be seen when the bore hole is switched off early in 1999 and the fen begins to thrive again.
Harry Barnett
Project Manager, Redgrave and Lopham Fens