The Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts which cover the United Kingdom. The EWT was founded in 1959, and it describes itself as Essex's leading conservation charity, which aims to protect wildlife for the future and the people of the county. As of January 2017, it has over 34,000 members and runs 87 nature reserves, 2 nature parks and 11 visitor centres.[1][a]
Essex has one of the longest coastlines of any English county, with saltmarshes, lagoons, mudflats, grazing marshes, reedbeds and shingle. Its ancient forests were formerly important to the local economy, with wood being used for fuel, construction and bark in the tanning industry. Coppicing is being re-introduced by the EWT to encourage woodland grasses, flowers, invertebrates and birds. A few grasslands on the heavy clays of south- and mid-Essex are still grazed according to traditional methods, supporting a mixture of pasture and fen. Some brownfield sites, often on contaminated soil, have populations of nationally scarce species, particularly invertebrates.[3]
The EWT runs the visitor centre for Essex and Suffolk Water's 716 hectare reservoir, which is internationally important for wintering wigeon, and nationally important for twelve other bird species. The small area run by the trust has new woodland with a bird hide, and there are two more hides over the reservoir.[5][9]
This is the headquarters of the EWT, as well as a working farm which is managed to encourage wildlife. New seawalls have been built to create marshland, which has many fish, providing food for migrating birds. A new lake has also been constructed, and fields provide additional habitats for fauna such as skylarks.[10]
The site is woodland on a sandy and gravel soil, with meadows and six man-made ponds. Grassland plants include wild strawberries and common spotted orchids. There are birds such as nuthatches and woodpeckers. Black poplars, which are the county's rarest native tree, have been planted to replace trees lost to storm damage.[17]
The London Borough of Havering owns and manages Bedfords Park, while the EWT manages the visitor centre.[18] The site has wildflower meadows, diverse woodland, several ponds and a lake, as well as a herd of red deer. There are flora such as cuckoo flowers and ragged robins.[19]
This is a small remnant of the ancient Hadleigh Great Wood. It is coppiced oak woodland on sands, gravels and clay, and one of the largest areas of old woodland in the south of the county. Plants include the rare broad-leaved helleborine.[21]
This site has been grassland for the last 100 years, and it is grazed by cows and sheep. The site has ponds, creeks and ditches, and a 20 hectare field is flooded during the winter, providing feeding grounds for large numbers of wildfowl and wading birds, including around 2000 Brent geese.[23]
The site is coppice woodland on chalky boulder clay. There is a variety of woodlands types, such as wet ash and maple, pedunculate Oak and hornbeam, and acid birch, ash and lime. The ground flora includes species which are locally uncommon, including greater butterfly-orchid and bird's-nest orchid.[30] There is also a variety of butterflies, and ponds which have frogs and newts.[29]
This area of former gravel pits has diverse habitats, lakes, marshes, willow carr, grazed grassland and scrub. More than 120 species of bird have been recorded, out of which more than 40 have bred, including great crested grebes, grey herons and little egrets. There are eleven species of willow and several of orchid.[34]
Cockaynes Wood is ancient, and was listed in the Domesday Book. The nature reserve also includes Villa Wood and more open areas, with heathland, meadows, and water-filled former quarries. Wildlife includes a rare weevil and birds including barn owls.[35]
This is ancient sweet chestnut and hornbeam coppice. The Great Storm of 1987 caused severe damage, and some areas have been left to regenerate naturally. Around 100 bird species have been observed, out of which 43 are nesting, and there are 23 butterfly species and over 300 of moths.[39]
The habitats on the site are woodland, wet meadow, marsh and fen. There are three small woods, including Spring Wood, which has species indicative of ancient woodland. Insects include a rare bee, Macropis europaea, and 23 species of butterfly have been recorded.[43]
The wood has many mature oak trees, with coppiced areas mainly of hornbeam, together with other trees such as ash and field maple. There are ponds in the centre of the site where lesser spearwort grows. Flowers include bluebell and wood anemone, and there are birds typical of broadleaved woodland.[44]
These former gravel quarries were the Trust's first reserve, established in 1961. Habitats are the Colne Estuary, gorse heathland, grassland, reedbeds and ponds. There are nearly 200 species of birds and 350 of flowering plants, together with many dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies.[4]
This site is ancient coppice, with old hornbeam pollards, and many ponds which were created for gravel extraction. There are areas of marsh with large patches of the unusual marsh fern, and other plants include marsh marigold and ragged robin.[50]
Gunners Park, which is named for its former military use, has over twelve habitats, including coastal grassland and ancient sand dunes. Rare insects include sandwich click beetles, while there are unusual plants such as bulbous meadow-grass. There is a wide range of migrating birds.[54]
The reservoir has a nationally important population of gadwalls, and it also has significant numbers of pochards, teal, tufted ducks and pintails. The chalk sludge lagoon has several unusual plants, and there is a rare moss Brachythecium mildeanum at the foot of the southern dam.[59]
The EWT manages the visitor centre for this site, which is run by Havering Council.[65] The site has a wide range of habitats, rough grassland, woodland, marshes, river, reedbeds and wet grazing. There are fauna such as great crested newts, slowworms and harvest mice.[67]
The site is mainly woodland with some marsh, meadow and open rides. One area has semi-natural birch and ash woods, and the marsh has moschatel and mature hazel and alder coppice. There are badgers and foxes, and butterflies including meadow browns and small coppers.[72]
This site has diverse habitats of woodland, meadows, scrub and hedges. The main trees are sessile oaks, hornbeams and sweet chestnut, and plants such as wood sorrel and are indicators of ancient woodland. The reserve is one of only 25 in the county where the rare heath fritillary is well established.[76]
This is a 2.4-kilometre (1.5-mile) linear site along the route of the former railway line between Maldon and Woodham Ferrers, and it is mainly on embankment. There are many breeding birds, and 28 species of butterflies and 17 of dragonfly have been recorded. Flowering plants include moschatels and sweet violets.[78]
The site is rough grassland on the bank of the River Chelmer, with areas of woodland and thorn thicket. More than 230 plant species have been recorded, including St John's wort, hairy violet and musk mallow. Birds include several species of warbler, and 23 of butterflies.[82]
This is former farmland which is being converted into a "green burial ground", overlooking the Stour Estuary. A native broadleaved tree is planted for each burial with a wooden plaque at the base. When the burial ground is full, it will be managed by the trust as a nature reserve.[83]
The site has two meadows which are rich in flowers, including many green winged orchids and adderstongue ferns. There is also a variety of common butterfly species, and hedgerows provide nesting sites for birds such as the lesser whitethroat.[84]
This site is named after Mrs Phyllis Currie, who bequeathed it to the trust. It has diverse habitats, with grassland, a lake, woodland and ditches. Birds include kingfishers and grey herons, and 23 species of butterflies and 13 of dragonflies and damselflies have been recorded.[85]
Much of this site is ancient woodland, with some old secondary woodland. Trees include sweet chestnut, aspen and the wild service tree. There are a number of dells and ponds.[86]
The meadows are bordered by the River Roding. They form one of the largest areas of grassland in Essex which are traditionally managed as hay meadows, flood meadows and marshland. Plants include the largest beds in Essex of the rare brown sedge.[89]
The site has areas of sedges and reeds with water near the surface all year. They provide protection for snipe and water rails in the winter, and sedge and reed warblers in the summer. The northern part is alder woodland with some ash and willow. In drier areas there is chalk grassland which supports a wide variety of wild flowers.[91]
The site is a river valley marsh close to the River Stort, which has a varied wetland flora. Grazing and cutting of the marsh in rotation maintains biological diversity.[94] Uncommon plants include marsh willowherb, marsh valerian and marsh arrow-grass, and drainage ditches and two ponds have a rich aquatic life.[93]
The site consists of an old orchard in a long narrow field, another narrow field to the west and a larger one to the east. The western field has been planted with fruit trees and the eastern one with a conservation grass mix. A rare bee, bombus muscorum, has been found on the site.[95][96]
Over half this site is managed as farmland, and the rest is ancient oak woodland with coppiced sweet chestnut and hornbeam. The understorey is ash, elder and hazel. Invertebrates include damselflies, dragonflies, glow-worms and wood ants.[100]
The highest part of the island has thorn thickets, separated by grassy rides. The lowest land is saltmarsh, and there is also extensive rough pasture with brackish pools. Flora include sea hog's fennel and lax-flowered sea-lavender, and there are breeding birds such as shelducks and oystercatchers.[101]
This former gravel quarry is bisected by the River Hassenbrook. It has one of the largest reedbeds in the county, together with rough grassland and marshes. The bird life is diverse, including water rails, grey wagtails and bearded tits.[102]
The EWT runs the visitor centre for Thorndon Country Park, which is managed by Essex County Council. The park has diverse habitats, with ancient woodland, a meadow, a marsh, parkland and ponds. Mature trees include large oak and hornbeam pollards.[104]
The site is an ancient semi-natural wood on acid soil. Wild service trees and elders are found in the shrub layer, and a pond has a raised sphagnum bog. Twenty species of butterfly have been recorded.[108]
This is the largest surviving area of heathland in Essex, and has a number of plants rare in the county. It is dominated by heather and bent grass.[112] A small herd of Dexter cattle help to control the growth of invasive scrub.[111]
This is coastal freshwater marsh which is grazed by sheep, and is worked by traditional methods which encourage wildlife. Areas of ungrazed rough pasture have badgers, and field voles and pygmy shrews are hunted by hen harriers and short-eared owls.[113]
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries this site was the garden of the leading horticulturalist, Ellen Willmott, who planted many plants from all over the world, some of which still survive. There is a line of mature sweet chestnuts, and flowers including daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses.[118]
This site has a variety of woodland types, reflecting diverse soils. It is mainly pedunculate oak over a layer of coppice hazel and sweet chestnut planted in the nineteenth century. There are two ponds and species-rich damp, grassy rides.[120]
The site is ancient woodland on chalky boulder clay and sandy loam. It was mainly elm, but this has died and the wood regenerated naturally with ash. Bramble and dog's mercury dominate the ground layer, with a rich variety of plants in wetter areas, such as oxlip and meadow-sweet.[122] There are many species of birds and butterflies, and four ponds which have great crested newts, dragonflies and damselflies.[121]
↑ The EWT states that it runs 87 nature reserves but only lists 55 on its web site. However, some sites listed as visitor centres are also nature reserves, and the EWT may also run other sites which are not listed.[2]
1 2 3 Unless stated otherwise, the area, location and public access are taken from the Essex Wildlife Trust page for each site.
↑ "Blackwater Estuary citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
↑ "Dengie citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
1 2 "Danbury Ridge". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
1 2 "Danbury Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
1 2 "Fobbing Marsh". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
1 2 "Gernon Bushes". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
↑ "Epping Forest citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
↑ "Unit List, Foulness SSSI". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
1 2 "Hunsdon Mead". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
1 2 "Hunsdon Mead citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
↑ "Ingrebourne Valley". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
↑ "Langdon Ridge citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. 29 June 2018. Archived(PDF) from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
↑ "The Naze citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
1 2 "Newland Grove". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
1 2 "Oakfield Wood". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
1 2 "Oxley Meadow". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
↑ "Roding Valley Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
1 2 "Roding Valley Meadows citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
1 2 "Sawbridgeworth Marsh citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
↑ "Thorndon Park citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
↑ "Thrift Wood". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
1 2 "Tile Wood". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
1 2 "Tiptree Heath". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
1 2 "Tiptree Heath citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
1 2 "Warley Place". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
↑ "Weeleyhall Wood". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
1 2 "Weeleyhall Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
1 2 "West Wood". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1958, previously known as the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation. It aims to "work with people to restore, save and improve our natural spaces" and to "ensure that 30% of Kent and Medway – land and sea – is managed to create a healthy place for wildlife to flourish". In 2023, they have reported over 30,000 members and an annual income of £8 million. KWT manages over ninety nature reserves in Kent, of which thirty-seven are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, three are national nature reserves, five are Special Areas of Conservation, four are Special Protection Areas, six are local nature reserves, thirty-eight are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and one is a scheduled monument.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House in Ashbocking, near Ipswich. It was founded in 1961, and is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As of March 2017, it has 13,200 members, and it manages 3,120 hectares of land in 60 nature reserves, most of which are open to the public. It had an income of £3.9 million in the year to 31 March 2017.
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN) is a registered charity which manages 126 nature reserves covering 3,945 hectares. It has over 35,000 members, and 95% of people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire live within five miles of a reserve. As of 31 March 2016 it employed 105 people and had an income of £5.1 million. It aims to conserve wildlife, inspire people to take action for wildlife, offer advice and share knowledge. The WTBCN is one of 36 wildlife trusts covering England, and 46 covering the whole of the United Kingdom.
The Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the River Blackwater between Maldon and West Mersea in Essex. It is a 5,538 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). An area of 4,395 hectares is also designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, and a Special Protection Area 1,099 hectares is a National Nature Reserve. Tollesbury Wick and part of Abbotts Hall Farm, both nature reserve managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, are in the SSSI.
Dengie nature reserve is a 12 sq. mi. biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest between the estuaries of the Blackwater and Crouch near Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex. It is also a National Nature Reserve, a Special Protection Area, a Nature Conservation Review site, a Geological Conservation Review site and a Ramsar site. It is part of the Essex estuaries Special Area of Conservation. An area of 30 acres is the Bradwell Shell Bank nature reserve, which is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.
The Crouch and Roach Estuaries are a 1729 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at the mouth of the Crouch and Roach rivers in Essex. The Crouch part of the SSSI stretches from near Battlesbridge to Foulness Island, and the Roach from Rochford to the junction with the Crouch. Part of the site is in the Mid-Essex Coast Special Protection Area under the EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and a Ramsar wetland site of international importance. It is also part of the Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation. An area of 65 hectares is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust as the Lion Creek and Lower Raypits nature reserve and 8 hectares at Woodham Fen, both of which are managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. A small area is also a geological SSSI, The Cliff, Burnham-on-Crouch.
Foulness SSSI is a 10,702 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest covering the shoreline between Southend-on-Sea and the Crouch estuary in Essex.
Stour Estuary is a 2,523 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Manningtree to Harwich in Essex and Suffolk. It is also an internationally important wetland Ramsar site, a Special Protection Area and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is part of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and there are Geological Conservation Review sites in Wrabness, Stutton, and Harwich Part of the site is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and a small area is Wrabness Nature Reserve, a Local Nature Reserve managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.
Abbotts Hall Farm is a 282 hectare nature reserve in Great Wigborough in Essex. It is the head office of the Essex Wildlife Trust, which manages the site. It is also part of the Blackwater Estuary National Nature Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar site, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation, It is an important archaeological site, and includes a Scheduled Monument, Great Wigborough henge.
Bradwell Shell Bank is a nature reserve on the coast of the Dengie Peninsula near Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Dengie Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Ramsar site, and the Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation. It is also part of the Blackwater Flats and Marshes, a Grade I site in the Nature Conservation Review.
Colne Point is a 276.4-hectare (683-acre) nature reserve south-west of St Osyth in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Colne Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest, national nature reserve, Ramsar site, Nature Conservation Review site and Special Protection Area. It is also part of the Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation.
Fingringhoe Wick is a 48.6-hectare (120-acre) nature reserve in Fingringhoe in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, which runs a visitor centre on the site. It is part of the Colne Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar site and Nature Conservation Review site.
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