Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Area of Search | Pembrokeshire |
---|---|
Grid reference | SM830040 to SM960120 |
Coordinates | 51°41′25″N5°00′21″W / 51.69028°N 5.00594°W Coordinates: 51°41′25″N5°00′21″W / 51.69028°N 5.00594°W |
Interest | Geological and Biological |
Area | 2,192.1 hectares (5,417 acres) |
Notification | 2002 |
Milford Haven Waterway, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, designated since 2002. The site is protected for a wide range of reasons, including its geology, marine environment and ecosystems, and to protect a diversity of flora and fauna.
Milford Haven Waterway is an exceptional example of a ria (a system of valleys drowned by post-glacial rise in sea level) that consists of a number of estuaries, embayments and inlets. Cliffs in the southern regions are mostly developed in rocks of the Old Red Sandstone, whereas the geology of the upper reaches is relatively complex. In the outer part of Milford Haven vertical cliffs are common but elsewhere the cliff profile is often composed of a slope with a vertical rock face below it, the slope being a remnant from an earlier landform - a river valley - that has not yet been eroded by the sea. In many locations stony clays mantle the middle section of the cliff profile and are exposed above the rock faces. [1]
The cliffs and foreshore at Little Castle Head [lower-alpha 1] provide exposures of two air-fall tuff horizons [lower-alpha 2] within the Sandy Haven Formation of the Lower Old Red Sandstone, Milford Haven Group. The two tuff units, the Pickard Bay Tuff Bed and the Townsend Tuff Bed, are useful stratigraphical marker horizons, particularly the latter, which can be traced across the whole of the Old Red Sandstone outcrop in South Wales. At Little Castle Head the tuffs are exposed in an area of tight folding, and comparison of logged sections across the limbs of the folds shows lateral variations in the thickness of the tuff beds and the intervening sandstone units. Faecal pellets have been preserved as unusual trace fossils at the base of, and within, the tuffs. [1]
The Milford Haven Waterway consists of a main channel that has extensive rocky shores, with large sandy beaches in embayments near the entrance, and mudflats in sheltered areas further up the channel and in muddy creeks (pills) at intervals along the length of the inlet. The foreshore supports good examples of a variety of intertidal marine habitats including muddy gravels, sheltered mud, moderately exposed sand, and sheltered rock. These shore types support a diverse range of intertidal communities, with species-rich rock pools, marine eelgrass Zostera spp. beds, and overhang and under-boulder communities. Tidal water movements are particularly strong in places, allowing the development of tide swept lower shore communities that are particularly rich, with animal species such as the breadcrumb sponge ( Halichondria panicea ), gooseberry seasquirt ( Dendrodoa grossularia ) and star seasquirt ( Botryllus schlosseri ). Other communities include beds of native oyster ( Ostrea edulis ) and areas of mixed sediment supporting segmented worms of the family Syllidae. [1]
The site supports three saline lagoons; the Pickleridge lagoon [lower-alpha 3] within the Gann Estuary, [lower-alpha 4] a weired pool at Westfield Pill [lower-alpha 5] near Neyland and the old Millpond [lower-alpha 6] within the grounds of Carew Castle. Saline lagoons are an unusual and rare habitat both in the UK and elsewhere supporting a number of characteristic species that are rarely found in other habitats. Species found in the above three sites include the nationally scarce tentacled lagoon worm ( Alkmaria romijni ) and the crustacean Gammarus chevreuxi , along with lagoon cockle ( Cerastoderma glaucum ). [1]
The saltmarshes within the Haven occur predominantly in sheltered areas within the upper regions of the main channel, and in the muddy creeks (pills) and embayments found at intervals along the length of the inlet. A variety of saltmarsh communities exist within the site, the most extensive being characterised by the pioneering species common cord-grass ( Spartina anglica ) on the lower shore. Other dominant species include sea purslane ( Atriplex portulacoides ), common saltmarsh grass ( Puccinellia maritima ) and red fescue ( Festuca rubra ). These grade into upper saltmarsh or brackish communities with occasional sea rush ( Juncus maritimus ) and saltmarsh rush ( Juncus gerardii ). In some areas, there is a transition zone from upper saltmarsh into areas of reed-bed dominated by Phragmites australis . Species found within the saltmarsh include the nationally scarce lax-flowered sea-lavender ( Limonium humile ) and the one-flowered glasswort ( Salicornia pusilla ). [1]
Ancient woodland, dominated by sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ), fringes areas of the main channel. This relict woodland becomes more extensive at Lawrenny, which can be dated back to at least 1600 when extensive oak woods once clothed all the shoreline of the 'drowned valley' system of Milford Haven. Wild service-tree ( Sorbus torminalis ) is frequent on the lower slopes and the ground flora is rich with ancient woodland indicator species. The woodland supports a large number of interesting lichens including the nationally rare Arthonia astoidestra . [1]
The various habitats within the Haven support a rich assemblage of flowering plants. The site supports some of the largest populations in Pembrokeshire of species that have seen a marked decline at the national level over recent years. These populations include dwarf eelgrass ( Zostera noltei ), marsh pea (Lathyrus palustris), spurge-laurel ( Daphne laureola ) and wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana). Other nationally rare or scarce flowering plants include rock sea-lavender (Limonium procerum spp. cambrense), musk stork's-bill ( Erodium moschatum ), marsh mallow ( Althaea officinalis ) and chamomile ( Chamaemelum nobile ). The coastal slopes throughout the Haven support a rich assemblage of mosses and liverworts. The nationally rare moss Tortula cuneifolia is another species that has undergone a significant decline in Britain in recent years, has been recorded within the site. Nationally scarce lower plants include the mosses Bryum torquescens and Weissia perssonii along with the liverwort Cololejeunea minutissima . [1]
The saltmarsh and mudflats within the Haven support significant numbers of over-wintering wildfowl and waders. This number rises during particularly hard winters, when the mild Pembrokeshire climate results in the Haven population becoming augmented by wildfowl and waders coming in from other estuaries to the east that have become frozen. Species of special interest within the Haven include little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope), Eurasian teal (Anas crecca), dunlin (Calidris alpina) and Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata). The Haven makes up the lower part of the Cleddau catchment, an area recognised as being one of the most important places in southern Britain for otter. [1]
Within the vicinity of the Haven are important bat breeding sites, supporting internationally important populations of greater horseshoe bats, as well as nationally important numbers of lesser horseshoe bats. Broadleaved woodland and scrub, along with estuarine and grassland habitats, that border the main channel and its various embayments and inlets, provide essential feeding grounds for the bats, as well as flight paths between sites. The horseshoe bats and other bat species also roost in buildings and caves (adjacent to and within the site) during the year. These roosts are used by bats as daytime roosts, night-feeding roosts, or as winter hibernacula. [1]
Saltmarsh on the site supports a number of nationally scarce invertebrate species including comb footed spider ( Enoplognatha mordex ), the ground and short winged mould beetles ( Bembidion laterale and Brachygluta simplex ), the weevils Polydrusus pulchellus and Notaris bimaculatus , the hoverfly Platycheirus immarginatus and the cranefly Limonia (Dicranomyia) complicata. Blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ) scrub in places supports nationally important populations of brown hairstreak butterfly ( Thecla betula ), a species that has undergone a rapid decline throughout Britain during the last thirty years. [1]
Parts of the site are owned by Pembrokeshire County Council and the National Trust; both organisations lease parts of the site to the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. The Crown Estate owns the majority of the foreshore, which is leased to Pembrokeshire County Council and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Sporting rights are leased to the Pembrokeshire Wildfowlers Association and the Pembroke Rod and Gun Club. [1]
Approximately two-thirds of the site lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The area covered by the Wild Birds (Cleddau Sanctuary) Order 1970 lies within the site, which is also part of the Pembrokeshire Marine/Sir Benfo Forol candidate Special Area of Conservation for its estuary, shallow inlets and bays, reefs, Atlantic salt meadows, otter, intertidal mudflats and sandflats and lagoon features. [1]
The otter and greater and lesser horseshoe bats are listed in Annex IIa of the EC Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora). [1]
The tentacled lagoon worm Alkmaria romijni, otter and greater and lesser horseshoe bats are listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. [1]
The entire SSSI falls within a Marine Character Area, used by the Welsh government to "highlight the key natural, cultural and perceptual influences that make the character of each seascape distinct and unique". [2] It also falls within the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation, a European Marine Site designated in 2004. [3]
The site is divided, for management reasons, into 11 component areas covering the shores and mudflats of most of the ria from its mouth at Dale Point on the north shore and Thorn Island on the south, to the upper reaches of the Daugleddau at Haverfordwest in the west and Blackpool Mill in the north-east. The areas are: [1] [4]
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles (50 km) wide at its western limit.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales.
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. Founded in 1790 by Sir William Hamilton, designed to a grid pattern, it was originally intended to be a whaling centre, though by 1800 it was developing as a Royal Navy dockyard which it remained until the dockyard was transferred to Pembroke in 1814. It then became a commercial dock, with the focus moving in the 1960s, after the construction of an oil refinery built by Esso, to logistics for fuel oil and liquid gas. By 2010, the town's port had become the fourth largest in the United Kingdom in terms of tonnage, and continues its important role in the United Kingdom's energy sector with several oil refineries and one of the biggest LNG terminals in the world.
Carmarthen Bay is an inlet of the South Wales coast, including notable beaches such as Pendine Sands and Cefn Sidan sands. Carmarthen Bay is partially within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee list Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries as a Special Area of Conservation.
Montrose Basin is a nearly circular tidal basin which makes up part of the estuary of the River South Esk and which sits just inland of the town of Montrose in Angus on the east coast of Scotland. The basin is protected by a number of designations, it is managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust as a Wildlife Reserve, as well as being designated as a Local Nature Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area and a Ramsar Site.
Milford Haven Waterway is a natural harbour in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is a ria or drowned valley which was flooded at the end of the last Ice Age. The Daugleddau estuary winds west to the sea. As one of the deepest natural harbours in the world, it is a busy shipping channel, trafficked by ferries from Pembroke Dock to Ireland, oil tankers and pleasure craft. Admiral Horatio Nelson, visiting the haven with the Hamiltons, described it as the next best natural harbour to Trincomalee in Ceylon and "the finest port in Christendom". Much of the coastline of the Waterway is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, listed as Milford Haven Waterway SSSI.
The River Cleddau consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven.
The Barker Inlet is a tidal inlet of the Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide, South Australia, named after Captain Collet Barker who first sighted it in 1831. It contains one of the southernmost mangrove forests in the world, a dolphin sanctuary, seagrass meadows and is an important fish and shellfish breeding ground. The inlet separates Torrens Island and Garden Island from the mainland to the east, and is characterised by a network of tidal creeks, artificially deepened channels, and wide mudflats. The extensive belt of mangroves are bordered by samphire saltmarsh flats and low-lying sand dunes.
Hakin is a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is a district of the community of Milford Haven It had a population of 2,313 inhabitants in 2001 and is mainly residential.
The town of Milford Haven was founded in 1793 by Sir William Hamilton, who initially invited Quaker whalers from Nantucket to live in his town, and then, in 1797, the Navy Board to create a dockyard for building warships.
The Sea Empress oil spill occurred at the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales on 15 February 1996. The Sea Empress was en route to the Texaco oil refinery near Pembroke when she became grounded on mid-channel rocks at St. Ann's Head. Over the course of a week, she spilt 72,000 tons of crude oil into the sea. The spill occurred within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park – one of Europe's most important and sensitive wildlife and marine conservation areas. It was Britain's third largest oil spillage and the twelfth largest in the world at the time.
Shallow Inlet is a marine inlet, opening onto Waratah Bay on the western side of the Yanakie Isthmus in South Gippsland, Victoria, south-eastern Australia. It lies close to the small holiday communities of Sandy Point and Yanakie, as well as to Wilsons Promontory and the Wilsons Promontory National Park.
The Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay Islands Important Bird Area comprises a cluster of disparate sites centred at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula, and the southern end of Port Phillip, in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. As well as providing core wintering habitat for orange-bellied parrots, it is important for waders, or shorebirds, and seabirds.
The Tamar–Tavy Estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) covering the tidal estuaries of the River Tamar and the River Tavy on the border between Cornwall and Devon in England, UK. Part of the Tamar estuary also forms the Tamar Estuary Nature Reserve, owned by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The site was designated in 1991 for its biodiversity and varying habitats that support many wader and wildfowl species, as well as the special interest of its marine biology.
RNMD Milford Haven is a decommissioned Royal Naval Armaments Depot located on the north shore of Milford Haven between Milford Haven and Llanstadwel in the County of Pembrokeshire, Wales. The area is known as Newton Noyes.
Felin Llwyngwair is a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Newport in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. It was designated a SSSI in October 2000 to protect its fragile biological elements. The site has an area of 0.01 hectares and is managed by Natural Resources Wales.
Pill Fort was a sconce fort located on the northern shore of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. It was built by Royalist forces in order to prevent Parliamentarian forces landing at Pembroke Castle, and to protect Royalist forces landing from Ireland.
Mucking Flats and Marshes is a 311.6 biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Tilbury in Essex. It is part of the Thames Estuary and Marshes Ramsar site. and Special Protection Area
South Thames Estuary and Marshes is a 5,289-hectare (13,070-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches between Gravesend and the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. Part of it is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and part is a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve. It is part of the Thames Estuary and Marshes Ramsar internationally important wetland site and Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.
Hurst Castle and Lymington River Estuary is a 1,077.3-hectare (2,662-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Lymington in Hampshire. It is a Nature Conservation Review site and two areas are Geological Conservation Review sites. Three areas are Local Nature Reserves, Boldre Foreshore, Sturt Pond and Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes; the latter site is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Part of it is North Solent National Nature Reserve. It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site and Special Protection Area. Parts of it are in Solent Maritime and Solent and Isle of Wight Lagoons Special Areas of Conservation.