Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve
Designations | |
---|---|
Official name | Minsmere - Walberswick |
Designated | 5 January 1976 |
Reference no. | 75[1] |
Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve is a wildlife reserve on the North Sea coast of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around the village of Walberswick to the south of the town of Southwold. The reserve was designated in 2003, combining the existing Walberswick National Nature Reserve with reserves at Dingle Marshes and Hen Reedbeds to create a 1,340 hectares (3,300 acres) reserve.[2][3]
The reserve is managed by
History
The marshland areas of the reserve were drained to use as farmland between the 16th and 18th centuries, providing grazing land.
Heathland areas of the reserve were traditionally used for grazing sheep. Rabbits played a major role in maintaining this landscape until the
Habitats
The Walberswick section of the reserve is the largest at 1,192 hectares (2,950 acres). It contains a range of habitats including reedbed, hay meadows, grazing marshes, heather and grass heathlands and a variety of mixed and broadleaved woodlands. Along the coast shingle banks and beaches, saline lagoons and intertidal estuary and saltings are also present, providing a range of fresh, brackish and salt water habitats, whilst the area along the Blyth estuary provides mudflats and grazing marsh.[2]
The reserve has around 500 species of butterflies and moths, including the
Hen Reedbeds contains a mixture of reedbed, dykes, pools and fen habitats. Dingle Marshes contains a mixture of coastal and freshwater wetland habitats, including brackish pools. Both are nationally important breeding grounds for bitterns and marsh harriers, whilst Dingle Marshes is an internationally important site for the starlet sea anemone.[2]
Facilities
A number of car parks and waymarked walking routes are provided on the reserve. Three audio trails can be downloaded and used by visitors.[4] Three permanent bird hides are sited on the reserve.
References
- ^ "Minsmere - Walberswick". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d Suffolk Coast NNR, Natural England. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
- ^ a b National nature reserve to be unveiled, East Anglian Daily Times, 2003-06-11. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
- ^ a b c d e 'Walberswick National Nature Reserve', Natural England.