Estuaries Could Get Special Protection

The two major estuaries separating Wales and England could soon join the ranks of the most protected areas of Europe.

The Dee and Severn estuaries have been recommended as candidates for Special Areas of Conservation because of their distinctive and important wildlife and habitats.

Both rank alongside the best wildlife sites across Europe, and are already internationally recognised for migratory fish and extensive mudflats and salt meadows that accommodate hundreds of thousands of wintering and migratory birds.

Chief executive of the Countryside Council for Wales, Roger Thomas, said the submission to the EC by the Assembly Government and Defra followed many years of hard work and consultation.

“Public consultation has played, and will continue to play, a major role in conserving these areas of importance,” he said.

“It is only by working with local partners and users of the estuaries that CCW can help ensure a sustainable and favourable future for these areas, which are such valuable natural resources for wildlife and people alike.”

The Severn estuary is one of the largest in the UK and has the second highest tidal range in the world – more than 12 metres.

Its muddy, sandy and rocky habitats are exposed at low tide and unusual reefs are built by honeycomb worms. Around the edges are salt marshes with several species of rare plants.

Ragworms, lugworms and other species buried in the soft sediments provide food for thousands of over-wintering and migratory birds, and the estuary is also important for migratory fish, including shad and lampreys, and as a nursery for many species of young fish.

The Dee estuary is the sixth largest in the UK. Despite extensive development, it is still important for wildlife, and its large inter- tidal mudflats and sand flats are home to many invertebrates, which provide a rich source of food for birds and fish.

The Severn has been earmarked as a possible site for a tidal power barrage. A study by the Sustainable Development Commission into its feasibility is due this autumn.

If the barrage goes ahead, a compensation package of unprecedented scale would almost certainly be needed for the habitats and species affected.

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