Summary of Action
MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND OTHER PREPARATORY WORK
Management plans are being produced at all sites except Ham Wall, Lakenheath Fen, Otmoor and Walberswick to ensure that all activities are delivered in a structured and coherent manner. All management plans should be in place by 2003.
At Dearne Valley, Dungeness, Ham Wall, How Hill, Langford Lowfields, Lee Valley, Leighton Moss, Potteric Carr & Wigan Flashes it has been necessary to consult either English Nature, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission or the local Planning Authority to acquire permission to carry out the work. There have been no refusals of permissions so far but there have been some delays in gaining approval.
Although all sites have undergone detailed hydrological and soil investigations to make sure they are suitable for reedbed creation/rehabilitation. At Dearne Valley, Dungeness, Ham Wall, How Hill, Langford Lowfields, Lee Valley, Leighton Moss, Potteric Carr & Wigan Flashes detailed investigations are required to ensure that the proposed work is feasible, appropriate and effective and to draw up earthwork plans to inform contractors.
In general, restoration/excavation plans are proceeding well. There have been minor delays in some cases, where the complexity of the issues has required time to resolve, but planning is well advanced and work will proceed during 2003/04.
LAND PURCHASE
There have been delays in purchasing land and negotiating leases at all sites due to problems in securing match-funding (How Hill & Potteric Carr), negotiations with landowners not proceeding as expected (Ham Wall), and a difference in price between the valuation of the District Valuer and the asking price of the owner (Lee valley HMWT). However the first tranches of land have now been purchased at How Hill & Potteric. It is anticipated that the remainder of the land will be purchased by June 2004.
Negotiations on the leases at Leighton Moss and Radipole and Lodmoor have taken longer to conclude than expected, it is hoped that this will be resolved shortly.
NON-RECURRING MANAGEMENT
Non-recurring management activities include excavating pools, re-profiling ditch and open water margins, creating new ditches, creating landform for new reedbeds, bed lowering to increase the area of wet reedbed, removing sediment build-up, installing water control structures, removal of trees and scrub, establishing and protecting reed and installing infrastructure for extensive grazing of reedbeds. As planned major progress has been made at Dungeness, Ham Wall, Lakenheath Fen, Lee Valley, Minsmere, Castle Water, Marazion, Langford Lowfields, Otmoor, Silverdale Moss, Titchwell and Wigan Flashes. There have been delays at other sites due to:
- Delays in purchasing land and conditions attached(Potteric Carr)
- Wet weather during autumn/winter 2002/03 (Silverdale Moss, Titchwell)
- Procurement issues (Castle Water, Walberswick)
- Permissions (Radipole & Lodmoor)
- Lease negotiations (Dearne Valley & Radipole/Lodmoor
At How Hill the work will start in October and at Walberswick and Leighton Moss work should start in November 2003. Reedplanting at Barrow Scout and Silverdale Moss will follow the work at Leighton Moss. Further work at Ham Wall is programmed for this winter. Work at Dearne Valley is now programmed to start in the summer of 2004. Work at Potteric Carr has had to be postponed until 2005, because of conditions attached to the land purchase. Work at Radipole and Lodmoor is dependent upon the resolution of issues around the lease and finding an alternative means of spoil disposal.
RECURRING MANAGEMENT
Recurring management activities will take place throughout the duration of the project, they include reed cutting, removal of competitive vegetation, managing water levels, clearing ditches, and control of mammalian predators. Generally these activities are proceeding to schedule, with only minor delays and changes at some sites.
RAISING AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATING RESULTS
The following activities have been designed to raise awareness of the project: erection of information signs, development and maintenance of a project website, general project branding and awareness raising, media release, site visits by technical task forces/networking with other projects and conferences to promote best practice. Good progress has been made on these activities however there have been some delays because the project manager was not in post until late September (2002).
OVERALL PROJECT OPERATION AND MONITORING
The project and financial management processes have been put in place with visits to all site managers and partners from the RSPB International Funding Unit and the Project Manager. The Steering Group has met every 6 months, as planned.
The Project Manager has made contact with organisations and projects with similar remits and is encouraging the exchange of experience between these projects. These organisations include the National Trust (NT) at Wicken Fen, Norfolk Naturalists Trust (NNT), Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT), Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), Brandenburg State Agency for Large Conservation Areas, Hampshire County Council and members of the Finnish Department for Conservation. The Project Manager and Harry Bowell, RSPB’s Reserves Manager for the North West region, attended the conference in Angermunde, Germany in June. Good links were made with people working on similar issues in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy. The Project Manager will also attend a seminar in Brussels, organised by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Development Agency in October and the French conference in November.
