Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

11.3 Who to involve
11.3.1 Visitors
Anyone who goes to a fen – including the site owner(s) and manager(s) – is
effectively a visitor. However, the term ‘visitors’ is usually used to refer to those
not directly involved in fen management who are visiting for recreational purposes,
which might be a quiet walk or cycle ride, birdwatching or simply to enjoy the sense
of refuge which fens provide in more intensively farmed areas. In East Anglia, for
example, Wicken Fen is an oasis in the middle of a wide expanse of intensive arable
land, a reminder of how the landscape of rural Cambridgeshire may once have looked.
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Recreational visitors to fens
may include birdwatchers,
as part of small or
sometimes larger groups
(S Street)
Visitor profile can change significantly over time. The arrival of a rare bird may
shortly be followed by a large number of bird watchers. Wildlife tour operators and
other group organisers may wish to bring people to a fen, and should be borne in
mind amongst those to be consulted and involved.
11.3.2 Neighbours
Fens are intimately linked to the catchment in which they are located (see Section
5.3.2 Fens in the context of the wider catchment), and hence the actions of fen
managers and their neighbours often affect one another. Such connectivity may not
be obvious at ground-level, but even seemingly isolated wetlands may be linked
with other wetlands via underground aquifers (see Section 3: Understanding Fen
Hydrology). Fens and their surrounding area are also linked in the movement of
nutrients and pollutants in surface and ground water (see Section 4: Understanding
Fen Nutrients). Larger projects and initiatives may involve many neighbours,
including farmers, foresters, landowners, householders, voluntary groups and
sometimes local authorities.
Neighbours often have similar land and water management responsibilities to
fen managers, though their values and objectives may differ. Raising or lowering
water levels to achieve one land management objective may create problems for a
neighbour with different objectives. Co-operation between neighbours may allow
more effective nutrient management than individual action, and can help secure
funding. The RDP currently available throughout the UK (see Section 12: Fens
from an Economic Perspective) provide incentives to work with neighbours and
offer funding for projects of mutual interest, including those that improve the status
of fens and develop visitor management. Angling and wildfowling are common
activities around fens, and there are often opportunities to collaborate to reduce
conflicts with fen conservation and increase mutual benefits.