Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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1.7 Fens and people The fens of today are a product of past centuries of human intervention and management. Harvesting and use of fen products is no longer such an important part of the rural economy as it once was but there is still an important symbiosis between fens and people. Section 11: Fens and People reveals more about the long relationship we have had with fens and explores various aspects of involving people in fen management, as well as encouraging and allowing public access to fens. 1.8 Multi-function fens In the current economic and political climate, conservation action must increasingly deliver, and be recognized as delivering, a variety of benefits beyond the purely ecological. Fens have a long tradition of fulfilling many functions and as the case studies within this handbook demonstrate, fens present many opportunities capable of delivering multiple benefits. To quote but one example, providing a large area of land over which flood waters can spread/be stored without significant damage to property can reduce flood risk in towns downstream. It also provides opportunities for fen creation. Similarly, blocking appropriate drainage systems in upland peat can restore active bog with carbon storage and play an important part in attenuating floods in the lower catchment. At the other end of the scale, the small size and enclosure of many basin fens can led to a loss of resilience or ability to withstand natural and human change. Muck and fertiliser spreading, cultivation and stock husbandry on other land in the catchment add to the nutrient load of water feeding the fen, to the detriment of the wildlife interest. More targeted fertiliser application can save money for farmers and reduce undesirable nutrient enrichment of the fen. 12 Botanical survey of a fen on Orkney (E. Pawley)
Section 12: Fens from an Economic Perspective considers the various economic issues and opportunities relating to fen management, including commercial outputs and sources of funding. 1.9 References and further reading There is a vast array of information directly and indirectly relevant to fens, as well as that which is specific to fens. Key references for each of the main aspects of fen management are included at the end of the relevant section. Appendix IX suggests further reading for those interested in exploring fens further. 13
Page 1 and 2: The Fen Management Handbook Edited
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements Production of the
Page 5 and 6: 1. Introduction and Basic Principle
Page 7 and 8: Estimates of the original coverage
Page 9: Guiding principles for fen manageme
Page 13 and 14: 2.1 Diversity and conservation sign
Page 15 and 16: Part of Cropple How Mire in Cumbria
Page 17 and 18: The moss flora of base-rich springs
Page 19 and 20: Bog bean growing in a transitional
Page 21 and 22: Mesotrophic openwater transition fe
Page 23 and 24: Water shrews (Neomys fodiens), also
Page 25 and 26: 2.4.1 Vegetated margins of open wat
Page 27 and 28: 2.4.3 Grazed or cut fen in floodpla
Page 29 and 30: 2.6 Amphibians Amphibians are depen
Page 31 and 32: The mud snail Omphiscola glabra (12
Page 33 and 34: Old trees and dead wood Continuous
Page 35 and 36: Vascular plants Flat-sedge Blysmus
Page 37 and 38: 3. Understanding Fen Hydrology Quan
Page 39 and 40: Groundwater discharge to fens is us
Page 41 and 42: Water Table 3.4.1.4 Spring fed fen
Page 43 and 44: 3.5 Factors determining fen type 3.
Page 45 and 46: - Flooding - frequency and magnitud
Page 47 and 48: 3.7 Further information and advice
Page 49 and 50: Groundwater inflow. Groundwater lev
Page 51 and 52: It is likely that groundwater disch
Page 53 and 54: Case Study 3.3 Hydro(geo)logical im
Page 55 and 56: 4. Understanding Fen Nutrients Nutr
Page 57 and 58: nutrients. For example, at high con
Page 59 and 60: 4.2.1 Groundwater and surface water
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4.2.3 Point and diffuse sources of
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Area of acute nutrient enrichment o
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4.4 Classifying water chemistry usi
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4.6 Identifying nutrient enrichment
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Negative indicator species for diff
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Many of the floristic changes which
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Case Study 4.1 Understanding Fen Nu
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5.1 Why do fens need management? In
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5.2 Checklist of key stages in deci
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5.3.3 Scale Although fens are linke
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5.4 Site survey to establish what i
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variability and how these relate to
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- The fauna which inhabit the fen c
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- Prioritise objectives to achieve
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inundation are less likely to be sp
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5.13 References Barsoum, N., Anders
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Case Study 5.2 Fen Management and R
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- 14km of livestock fencing install
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Case Study 5.3 Fen Management and R
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6. Fen Management and Restoration -
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Both the benefits and potentially l
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Cattle forced by flooding to the ed
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At low/medium stocking density, cat
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Goats have narrow muzzles and a fle
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Fens usually feature a range of dif
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Excessive poaching where cattle hav
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extensive areas of wetlands which w
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‘Soft track’ machines, such as
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The design of the pipeline allows f
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Protocol for burning standing reedb
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Long rotation scrub clearance may b
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‘Bird-eye’ and incineration A t
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6.7 Restoring fen meadow Many forme
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Current Management The current mana
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Case Study 6.2 Fen Vegetation Manag
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species diversity of wetland passer
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The temptation to burn large areas
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Outcomes In the eight years that th
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Anglesey sites is now underway supp
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Close grazed short sward of sedges
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Turf cutting Turf cutting has been
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7.1 A framework to assist decision
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Surface water level change e.g. - a
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and the surface to acidify, resulti
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Smaller excavations are preferable
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Morton Lochs, which extend to appro
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Although shallow excavations are pr
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At Leighton Moss in Lancashire, are
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Excavating spoil within the area to
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uilt dams can only be formed in dit
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Case Study 7.1 Fen Water Management
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Page 167 and 168:
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8. Managing Fen Nutrient Enrichment
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Summary table of key techniques for
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8.2 Managing the source of nutrient
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Marginal interceptor ditch at Cors
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8.3.4 Bund creation In some cases i
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emoval or soil stripping, both of w
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8.5 Monitoring nutrient reduction D
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Recent photo of stripped surface sh
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9.1 Scope for fen creation The Grea
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9.3 What type of fen? New fens can
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9.5 Restraints on fen creation Plan
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9.6 Check list of issues to conside
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9.7 Site assessment Planning and de
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LIDAR maps can provide a general un
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generally more acidic than silts an
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Site visits and careful assessment
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9.8.4 Plastic membranes On sites wi
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Use of seed bombs ‘Seed bombs’
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Experience has shown that the most
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9.10.2 Creation of niches for plant
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Meade, R. & Wheeler, B.D. 2007. Rai
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- On-going measurement of the effec
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with appropriate training. Providin
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10.3 Biological monitoring techniqu
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Undesirable species for key NVC com
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10.3.3 Vegetation Mapping An initia
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It is good practise to record with
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10.4 Biological monitoring techniqu
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for Ornithology, the Bat Conservati
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Box 2: Construction, installation a
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10.8 Monitoring surface water flows
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- Phytometric tests measure how wel
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Storage of data and information on
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period, simply because it is design
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Another consideration is the likely
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11.1 An historical perspective Poll
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Inviting volunteer involvement in f
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11.3.3 Stakeholders ‘Stakeholders
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have been designated under access a
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11.6.4 Boardwalks Boardwalks are no
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11.6.5 Water borne access Waterways
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- Explore opportunities to stimulat
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Case Study 11.1 Fens and people - S
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Case Study 11.2 Fens and People - H
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12. Fens from an Economic Perspecti
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12.1.3 Biomass energy and Biofuels
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12.2 Environmental regulation 12.2.
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the peat carbon store is depleted t
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Another mechanism for funding wetla
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Whitlaw Mosses in Scotland (see det
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12.8 References Dickie, I., Hughes,
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Nitrogen fixation conversion of gas
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Appendix III - List of species refe
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Table 1 - Mammal species associated
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280 Bittern Botaurus stellaris All
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Grasshopper Warbler 282 Locustella
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Table 4 - Fish species associated w
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Table 5 - Legally protected inverte
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288 Community Topogenous fens S24 P
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290 Community S8 Scirpus lacustris
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292 Community M11 Carex demissa - S
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294 Community M23 Juncus effusus /
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Appendix V - Legal and regulatory c
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298 Type of Works Guidance for UK C
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Appendix VI - Fen management for br
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However, three of the four species
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Sensitive periods Harvest mice bree
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species like bittern, and then drop
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Sensitive periods Species breed wit
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Great Crested Newt Great crested ne
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Appendix VIII - Fen management for
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Mollusca (snails, slugs and mussels
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Other than for rare or exceptional
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There is usually some degree of sub
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Management requirements for protect
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Appendix IX - Further reading Secti
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Koerselman, W., Bakker, S.A. & Blom
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Section 5: Fen Management and Resto
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Patzelt, A, Wild, U. and Jörg Pfad
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Index A access 103, 110, 190, 226,
Page 329:
cutting 114 disposal 117 management
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Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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