Habitat Action Plans

Wetlands
Marsh and Reedbeds
Ponds (Standing Open Waters)
Saltmarsh
Streams and Ditches
Grazing Marsh
Grassland
Unimproved Neutral Grassland
Improved/Semi-improved Grassland

 

 

 

 

 


Grazing Marsh

Habitat
Grazing marsh is pasture which is periodically inundated, or meadow with ditches to maintain the water levels, containing standing freshwater. These areas may be grazed or cut by mechanical means.
Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus,
breed on grazing marsh.

In the Tees Valley area, this category comprises a range of communities near watercourses where the soil is often waterlogged. The botanical composition varies widely depending on soil, water regime and management. Grazing marshes can be valuable for breeding waders and wintering waterfowl. They also provide an opportunity for more extensive agriculture as financial incentives are available, and also serve as additional flood storage areas.

Current Status
Grazing marsh is a rare habitat type across the UK, as in the Tees Valley, covering only 300,000ha. Of this UK total, only 10,000ha is semi-natural with a high diversity of native plant species.

Grazing marsh is of importance botanically and ornithologically, providing an important breeding and feeding area for wading birds. The grazing marsh in the Tees Valley is of local importance as it represents the remaining fragments of a rare habitat type. Due to their rarity, most of these marshes are already designated wildlife sites.
Yellow Wagtail,
Motacilla flava, found on
grazing marsh habitat.

Grazing Marsh on the Greatham Site
The accompanying map (PDF) shows the position of the Grazing Marsh on the Greatham site. A large proportion of the Greatham site is grazing marsh, as it is permanently wet, and contains drains and ditches. These areas on the site are grazed by a very small herd of Roe Deer, as well as Rabbit and Brown Hare. There are also established orchid populations within the grazing marsh. These areas have been highlighted on the accompanying map (PDF). The orchids present on site are the Northern Marsh-orchid, the Common Spotted-orchid and the Fragrant Orchid.

The local Cowpen Grazing Marsh, around 600 metres from the Greatham Site, is designated as a SSSI, showing the importance of grazing marsh in the local area.
The grazing marsh on site provides a good habitat for Snipe and Lapwing, as well as providing damp, wet ground for Common Frogs and Common Toads.

Current Factors Affecting the Habitat Nationally

  • Disruption of flooding regimes and water levels due to agricultural intensification, land drainage and flood defence works.
  • Lack of traditional management and inappropriate management e.g. overgrazing or lack of grazing.
  • Development pressure and disturbance from industrial and urban areas.
  • Eutrophication due to industrial and agricultural pollution.

Key Grazing Marsh Species on the Greatham Site

Flora  
Rushes, especially Saltmarsh rush Local BAP Species, characteristic of this kind of habitat. Saltmarsh rush is present on site.
Sedges, especially Distant sedge Local BAP Species, characteristic of this kind of habitat. Distant sedge is present on site.
Greater Bird’s-foot trefoil Local BAP Species. Found on site.
Flote-grass Local BAP Species. Found on site.
Fauna  
Snipe Local and UK BAP Species. Fairly common and resident on site, but not yet breeding on site.
Lapwing Local and UK BAP Species. Breeds on site. Important conservation species nationally.
Redshank Local and UK BAP Species. Breeds on site. Red Data Book Species, breed in internationally important numbers locally.
Yellow Wagtail Local and UK BAP Species. Breeds on site.
Common Frog and Common Toad Local and UK BAP Species. Grazing marsh could provide valuable damp habitat for these species, and possible hibernating areas.
Brown Hare Local and UK BAP Species. Breeds on site and feeds on grazing marsh. Declining nationally.
Roe Deer Local and UK BAP Species. Breeds on site, grazes on grazing marsh.

Current Action
SSSI and other designation.
Redshank, Tringa tetanus, at
nest. This Red Data Book
Species breeds on site
in grazing marsh.

National Targets

  • Maintain existing habitat extent (300,000ha) and quality.
  • Rehabilitate 10,000ha of grazing marsh which has dried out, or is intensively managed by the year 2000. This would compromise 5,000ha already in ESA’s plus an additional 5,000ha.
  • Creation of 2,500ha grazing marsh from arable land in targeted areas, in addition to that which will be achieved by existing ESA schemes, with the aim of completing as much as possible by the year 2000.

Local Objectives

  • Protect and enhance all existing grazing marsh.
  • Advise on the management of locally important sites to improve their value for wildlife.
  • Discourage use of agrochemicals.
  • Rehabilitate degraded habitat, particularly adjacent to existing high quality habitat.

Management Plan for Grazing Marsh on Greatham Site

  • Ensure that any future development fully considers the nature conservation interests of grazing marsh on site.
  • Continue monitoring of key grazing marsh species, in order to assess population size and distribution. Species Action Plans for key species have been included.
  • Maintain the present numbers, distribution and productivity of key species breeding on grazing marsh.
  • Where possible, increase the populations of key wet grassland bird species by enhancing the management of existing areas of suitable habitat. Further management plans will be included in the Species Action plans of key grazing marsh bird species.

Action Plans for Key Species
The 3 key species for grazing marsh habitat, for which Species Action Plans have been produced, are:

  • Amphibians
  • Redshank
  • Lapwing

These 3 species will act as ‘indicator’ species for the grazing marsh on the site, to determine its status, and any positive effects of the management plans.