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Meadow and wetland habitats
in the Loder Valley Nature Reserve |
At Wakehurst Place, the Loder Valley Nature Reserve (LVNR),
established in 1980, acts as refuge for the plants and animals
of the High Weald of Sussex. By conserving populations of
endangered plants in the environments and habitats where they
naturally grow (in situ conservation), it is possible
to safeguard a significant proportion of their genetic diversity.
This diversity is crucial as it allows a plant or animal species
to adapt in response to changes in its environment.
Within its 60 ha (150 acres), the LVNR encompasses three main
habitats - woodland, wetland and meadowland. There are many
typical features of the Kent and Sussex Weald, such as sandstone
outcrops, ghylls (small valleys) and complex soils. Among
the different plants and animals that live in the Reserve
are bluebells and dormice in the woodland, orchids in the
meadows and kingfishers around the Ardingly Reservoir.
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| Preparing wood for the charcoal kiln |
The strategy of sustainable management employed in the LVNR
enhances its value to wildlife whilst harvesting a variety
of materials from the woodland in particular. Once again,
the woodlands are being managed for coppice production. This
traditional system exploits the ability of native hardwood
trees and shrubs to regrow strongly from cut stumps. In Sussex,
hazel (Corylus avellana) is normally used as the coppice
species with widely spaced oaks (Quercus species),
allowed to grow to maturity, to provide larger timber for
building. The hazel itself is cut on a cycle which varies
between 4 and 15 years and its stems provide thatching spars,
bean poles and pea sticks as well as material for fencing
hurdles. Other species, coppiced at longer intervals (20 or
more years), provide stakes, firewood and tool handles. Wood
from the woodlands of the LVNR is also converted to charcoal
which is sold as a barbecue fuel.
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Badgers in the Loder Valley
Reserve |
The woodland environment provides a home for a wide range
of native and introduced mammals, including dormice, badgers
and several species of deer. Due to their declining numbers,
dormice are the subject of a Species Recovery Programme being
conducted by English Nature. Wakehurst Place is an approved
monitoring centre, contributing to studies of national population
levels and distribution patterns of this enchanting small
mammal.
Large parts of the Wakehurst Place estate are included in
a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), designated by
English Nature. Of particular interest are the communities
of mosses, liverworts and lichens, which are especially prevalent
on the natural rock outcrops visible throughout Wakehurst
Place. Many of these plants are now declining across the UK
as a whole and staff at Wakehurst Place are cooperating with
specialists to ensure that their habitats are made secure.
It is important to realise that in situ conservation
in the British Isles involves active management due to the
complex interactions between humans and other wildlife. Without
continued informed intervention, the biological interest of
a site may decline as some species die out locally.
Page 1 of 2. Next: Plant collections for conservation >>>
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