Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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5.12 Develop and implement a strategy to achieve desired objectives All of the preceding stages should be drawn together in an effective strategy to achieve agreed objectives. 92 – International legal obligations, such as Ramsar and the EU Habitats & Species Directive should take precedence. – National legal obligations, such as those applying to SSSIs and ASSIs must be observed. Making Choices: management strategies and options (adapted from Benstead et al, 1999) Habitat condition Fen with high wildlife interest in good condition Fen with moderate wildlife interest with potential for improvement (e.g. partially drained fen with some scrub encroachment, and suspected nutrient enrichment) Area with potential for fen but currently drained and managed as other habitat, e.g. arable land or dry grassland Management strategy Maintain existing management Improve/modify management Implement creation/ restoration programme (see Section 9: Fen Creation) Management options Water management: Determine hydrological regime, e.g. spring-fed, topogenous, both etc. Maintain current hydrological regime Monitor water levels and quality Vegetation management: Identify existing regime by talking to owner/manager Continue with existing management Monitor vegetation change Water management: Investigate possibility/desirability of return to natural hydrological regime Block drains Consider lowering of fen surface Prevent flow of nutrient-enriched water into fen (e.g. install silt trap; create nutrient-stripping wetland upstream; bring surrounding land into sympathetic management) Monitor water levels and quality Vegetation management: Manage scrub and trees Restoration cut to remove standing crop and litter Controlled burn Introduce cutting regime Introduce grazing animals Monitor vegetation change Water management: Identify sources of water, chemistry and nutrient status Consider full re-instatement of natural hydrology Consider engineering options necessary for target fen type e.g. bunding, sluices, ditch creation, land forming Monitor water levels and quality Vegetation management: Assess feasibility of natural regeneration Consider soil remediation, e.g. topsoil removal Consider bringing in seed/green hay from nearby sources Introduce grazing animals Establish cutting regime Monitor vegetation development
5.13 References Barsoum, N., Anderson, R., Broadmeadow, S., Bishop, H., and Nisbet, T. 2005. Eco-hydrological guidelines for wet woodland – Phase I. English Nature Research Reports No. 619. Benstead, P.J., Jose, P.V., Joyce, C.B. and Wade, P.M. 1999. European Wet Grassland. Guidelines for management and restoration. RSPB, Sandy. Brooks, S. And Stoneman, R. 1997. Conserving Bogs – The Management Handbook. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh. Penny Anderson Associates (Hawley, Ross, Wheeler, Shaw, Taylor & Worrall). 2004. Nutrient enrichment of basin fens: options for remediation. Report to English Nature. Wheeler, B.D. & Shaw, S.C., 2001. A Wetland Framework for impact assessment at statutory sites in Eastern England. Environment Agency Research & Development Technical Report W6-068/TR1. Wheeler, B.D., Gowing, D. J. G., Shaw, S. C., Mountford, J.O. and Money, R. P. 2004. Ecohydrological Guidelines for Lowland Wetland Plant Communities. Final Report Environment Agency - Anglian Region. Edited by Brooks AW, José PV, and Whiteman MI. 93
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The Fen Management Handbook Edited
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Acknowledgements Production of the
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1. Introduction and Basic Principle
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Estimates of the original coverage
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Guiding principles for fen manageme
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Section 12: Fens from an Economic P
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2.1 Diversity and conservation sign
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Part of Cropple How Mire in Cumbria
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The moss flora of base-rich springs
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Bog bean growing in a transitional
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Mesotrophic openwater transition fe
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Water shrews (Neomys fodiens), also
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2.4.1 Vegetated margins of open wat
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2.4.3 Grazed or cut fen in floodpla
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2.6 Amphibians Amphibians are depen
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The mud snail Omphiscola glabra (12
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Old trees and dead wood Continuous
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Vascular plants Flat-sedge Blysmus
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3. Understanding Fen Hydrology Quan
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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
Page 61 and 62: 4.2.3 Point and diffuse sources of
Page 63 and 64: Area of acute nutrient enrichment o
Page 65 and 66: 4.4 Classifying water chemistry usi
Page 67 and 68: 4.6 Identifying nutrient enrichment
Page 69 and 70: Negative indicator species for diff
Page 71 and 72: Many of the floristic changes which
Page 73 and 74: Case Study 4.1 Understanding Fen Nu
Page 75 and 76: 5.1 Why do fens need management? In
Page 77 and 78: 5.2 Checklist of key stages in deci
Page 79 and 80: 5.3.3 Scale Although fens are linke
Page 81 and 82: 5.4 Site survey to establish what i
Page 83 and 84: variability and how these relate to
Page 85 and 86: - The fauna which inhabit the fen c
Page 87 and 88: - Prioritise objectives to achieve
Page 89: inundation are less likely to be sp
Page 93 and 94: Case Study 5.2 Fen Management and R
Page 95 and 96: - 14km of livestock fencing install
Page 97 and 98: Case Study 5.3 Fen Management and R
Page 99 and 100: 6. Fen Management and Restoration -
Page 101 and 102: Both the benefits and potentially l
Page 103 and 104: Cattle forced by flooding to the ed
Page 105 and 106: At low/medium stocking density, cat
Page 107 and 108: Goats have narrow muzzles and a fle
Page 109 and 110: Fens usually feature a range of dif
Page 111 and 112: Excessive poaching where cattle hav
Page 113 and 114: extensive areas of wetlands which w
Page 115 and 116: ‘Soft track’ machines, such as
Page 117 and 118: The design of the pipeline allows f
Page 119 and 120: Protocol for burning standing reedb
Page 121 and 122: Long rotation scrub clearance may b
Page 123 and 124: ‘Bird-eye’ and incineration A t
Page 125 and 126: 6.7 Restoring fen meadow Many forme
Page 127 and 128: Current Management The current mana
Page 129 and 130: Case Study 6.2 Fen Vegetation Manag
Page 131 and 132: species diversity of wetland passer
Page 133 and 134: The temptation to burn large areas
Page 135 and 136: Outcomes In the eight years that th
Page 137 and 138: Anglesey sites is now underway supp
Page 139 and 140: 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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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,
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cutting 114 disposal 117 management
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Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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