Devon’s Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve to extended by nearly 90 hectares, the equivalent of 128 football pitches, to encompass a unique wetland
A Devon nature reserve is due to be significantly expanded today (16 February) in part thanks to a unique piece of coastal engineering, which has seen 50 hectares of internationally important new wetland habitat created.
The huge climate change adaptation project led by the Environment Agency reconnected the River Otter with its historic estuarine floodplain – helping protect properties but also creating a new wetland habitat that has today been declared the third nature reserve in the King’s Series of National Nature reserves.
The enlarged national nature reserve, which is being extended by 90 hectares in total or the equivalent of 128 football pitches, will connect the Otter Estuary and the restoration project with the existing lowland heathlands of Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve. This unique landscape supports some of our most precious wildlife, from Dartford warblers, silver-studded blue butterflies to populations of sea trout, Atlantic salmon and eels and will now be protected for nature.
Extending the area managed for conservation will create bigger and better joined up spaces for wildlife and will help to achieve the government’s targets to halt and reverse nature’s decline.
The King’s Series will see five major NNRs named every year for five years – 25 in total which will create bigger, better and more joined up spaces for nature to thrive.
The Lincolnshire Coronation Coast NNR was the first in the King’s Series to be announced, in September 2023, followed in October by the Mendip NNR, which includes the world-famous Cheddar Gorge.
You can read more about the newly extended reserve here: Devon National Nature Reserve extension to boost nature recovery
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Posted On: 16/02/2024