Natural England

The Government’s environmental champion Natural England is calling on ramblers to get “bogged down” in some of the North West’s most beautiful wetlands – including Wedholme Flow near Carlisle – to mark World Wetlands Day (February 2).

Wedholme Flow is a 10,000 year old peat bog in South Solway Mosses National Nature Reserve covering more than 790 hectares of the Solway Plain to the west of Carlisle. The bog provides an increasingly rare environmental habitat for a range of wildlife including carnivorous plants, dragonflies, damselflies, curlew and snipe. In 2002 the land was saved for future generations when Natural England (formerly English Nature) bought over 150 hectares of the bog that had previously been mined for peat to supply the horticultural trade.

The £350,000 restoration of Wedholme Flow was completed last year, which included constructing eight sluices with new walkways over the bog and filling in 4,200 metres of ditches with peat. Key to successful restoration has been improving the water hydrology; controlling and sustaining water levels has helped to support the right kind of vegetation such as sphagnum mosses and cotton grass that indicate peat-forming conditions. Installation of 15,000 metres of low, artificial peat walls, known as bunding, is helping to reduce wave action and create sheltered areas for vegetation to grow.

After decades of decline, this ancient bog is today slowing improving in condition and is now open to the public through a number of marked routes. The Cumbrian Coastal Path and the Hadrian’s Wall Path both run nearby.

Liz Newton, Regional Director for the North West, said: “The restoration work at Wedholme Flow is a great example of our work making a positive impact, not only enabling us to change the conservation condition of many parts of the Site of Special of Scientific Interest but also opening up these fantastic sites for the public.

“Peat bogs absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Previous exploitation means that this stored carbon dioxide is being released and is adding to our global warming problems. What we have achieved at Wedholme not only helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also reduces the harmful effects of flooding.”

World Wetlands Day marks the date of the Convention of Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, back in 1971. This intergovernmental treaty provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 1713 wetland sites designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, totaling 153 million hectares.

ENDS

For further information contact Anne Arnold at GNN North West at anne.arnold@gnn.gsi.gov.uk or on 0161 952 4505.

Notes for editors:

1. Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings.

2. The South Solway Mosses National Nature Reserve is a composite of three large lowland raised bogs comprising Glasson Moss, Bowness Common and Wedholme Flow. Together these are the largest intact and active lowland bog areas in England. Wedholme Flow is of exceptional importance to wildlife and plants. It is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also forms part of the South Solway Mosses Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

3. Access to Wedholme Flow is from a car park at GR NY237539 off the Wigton to Kirkbride Road. Information, waymarking and cycle racks are available.

Ref: NatEngland/NW/013/08

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF NATURAL ENGLAND BY GOVERNMENT NEWS NETWORK NORTH WEST