BEXHILL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP
The Pevensey Levels:
Biodiversity on the Brink
Illustrated Talk Presented by Evan Jones
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Report by Malcolm Turner
Bexhill Environmental Group hosted a talk on the biodiversity of the Pevensey Levels on Wednesday 12th February. The naturalist, conservationist and gifted photographer Evan Jones presented a richly illustrated talk to a packed Beulah Church Hall through a series of slides covering the history, biodiversity and threats to the Levels
Evan explained the formation of Pevensey Levels through a series of illustrated slides. The Levels lie in the river and coastal flood plain between Bexhill, Eastbourne and Hailsham and fall within both Wealden and Rother districts. The open low lying landscape is criss-crossed by a network of slow moving rivers and drainage ditches. This largely man-made landscape is often used as seasonal pasture for sheep and cattle. It is recognised as the most biodiverse coastal grazing marsh in Britain and yet it is not generally well known. Most of the land is privately owned with very little access to the public. The open landscape means birds would be easily disturbed by people or dogs.
In the centre of the Levels lie the Pevensey Marshes that form part of the National Nature Reserve. These marshes are an internationally recognised wetland listed as a UNESCO RAMSAR site and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1977 after many rare species of beetles, molluscs, snails, dragonflies and spiders were discovered including the rare fen raft spider.
3000 years ago, the Sussex coastline was much further inland and a shallow sea covered Pevensey Levels. The coast stretched north of Eastbourne towards Shinewater where the remains of a busy Bronze Age settlement were uncovered during excavations for the A22 Golden Jubilee Way relief road. Archaeological finds suggest their diet included deer and crane birds. 2000 years ago, the Romans sailed in through the shallow waters and built Pevensey Castle by the coast as it was then. Parts of the shallow waters began to silt up and many salt works operated across the region. Farmers in the middle ages gradually reclaimed the wetlands to graze sheep and small cattle but this led to beavers disappearing from the Levels. Networks of walls and ditches were built in a process known as inning leading to the formation of much of Pevensey Levels as we see it today.
Scientists continue to study the biodiversity in the Levels and Evan has undertaken to record and catalogue the wildlife found there. 70% of UK aquatic fauna have been found in the Levels and Evan believes we have only scratched the surface of what species may be found there. He explained that DNA tests on water samples from the Levels led to other new species being identified. The soils in the Levels have a PH of neutral to alkaline and the low lying water ditches act similar to fenland and may produce peat if sustained over thousands of years. The Levels reach the shingle beach where several specialist plants can be found. Behind the beach, areas of salt marsh contain rare crustaceans and plants.
Evan presented dozens of his accomplished and detailed photographs of plants and animals on the Levels. He showed us slides of bird species that breed in the Levels including several species of warblers and wagtails. Marsh harriers have begun breeding on the Levels and short eared owls feed there in winter. However, lapwing numbers are down to 15 pairs. Hundreds of swans live and breed on the Levels and other wetland birds overwinter here. Harvest mice can be seen living in the reeds and long grass. Other animals include stoats, weasels, frogs, toads and newts. Species of fish found in the waterways include perch, tench, rudd, pike and eel. Examples of unusual creatures found in the Levels include:
• The yellow loosestrife bee specialises in wetland areas and can be seen between July and September. It takes oils from the yellow loosestrife plant to waterproof its nest against flooding.
• The great silver diving beetle is a very large aquatic insect and very rare in the UK.
• Water measurer is a semi-aquatic insect with an elongated head and body. It ‘walks’ across the surface of still waters
. • Jumping Spiders
.
Evan presented pictures of specialist plants found in the Levels including:
• Greater water parsnip is a tall perennial that grows along water margins with umbels of white flowers in summer that are becoming scarce in the UK.
• Water violets are aquatic plants that are actually water primroses. They flower above the surface with much of the plant submerged below.
• Clumps of Milk Parsley are attractive to several butterfly species.
• Glassworts can be found in areas of salt marsh
. • Utricularia is a carnivorous plant.
• Pevensey Levels is the only site in Sussex where Fen Pond Weed may be seen spreading across the water.
Tussocks of grass, iris and other marginal plants will gradually fill in ditches if left unattended so each water course needs digging out within 20 years. The mud is left on the bank and becomes home to many beetles and other insects.
Some of the wetland species found in the Levels have survived since prehistory but its future hangs in the balance. Its SSSI and RAMSAR status offers some protection but some of the species are threatened. There is no one body that oversees the Levels. Its management falls to the land owners, farmers, environmental and conservation groups and volunteers. Some farm owners support the biodiversity and receive support from Natural England and the Environment Agency. However, tenant farmers are less likely or able to do so. Sussex Wildlife Trust manages Pevensey Marshes but the area is not generally open to the public. Maintaining water levels and quality is important to continue support for the many specialised and rare species. Far more water flows into the Levels than flows out naturally so 80% of the water is pumped out towards the sea. The water levels have to be monitored regularly and pumping controlled so that important areas do not dry out in summer.
The Environment Agency has granted Wealden Council and Southern Water license to release excess sewage water into the Levels in an emergency. The sensitive ecosystem could be damaged if sewage entered the Levels. A rising sea level at the coast could threaten to overtop the beach and spread salt water across the Levels.
The audience raised several questions at the end of the talk concerning the access, management and biodiversity of the Levels. A proposal was made to set up a “Friends of Pevensey Levels”.
Bexhill Environmental Group hosted a talk on the biodiversity of the Pevensey Levels on Wednesday 12th February. The naturalist, conservationist and gifted photographer Evan Jones presented a richly illustrated talk to a packed Beulah Church Hall through a series of slides covering the history, biodiversity and threats to the Levels
Evan explained the formation of Pevensey Levels through a series of illustrated slides. The Levels lie in the river and coastal flood plain between Bexhill, Eastbourne and Hailsham and fall within both Wealden and Rother districts. The open low lying landscape is criss-crossed by a network of slow moving rivers and drainage ditches. This largely man-made landscape is often used as seasonal pasture for sheep and cattle. It is recognised as the most biodiverse coastal grazing marsh in Britain and yet it is not generally well known. Most of the land is privately owned with very little access to the public. The open landscape means birds would be easily disturbed by people or dogs.
In the centre of the Levels lie the Pevensey Marshes that form part of the National Nature Reserve. These marshes are an internationally recognised wetland listed as a UNESCO RAMSAR site and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1977 after many rare species of beetles, molluscs, snails, dragonflies and spiders were discovered including the rare fen raft spider.
3000 years ago, the Sussex coastline was much further inland and a shallow sea covered Pevensey Levels. The coast stretched north of Eastbourne towards Shinewater where the remains of a busy Bronze Age settlement were uncovered during excavations for the A22 Golden Jubilee Way relief road. Archaeological finds suggest their diet included deer and crane birds. 2000 years ago, the Romans sailed in through the shallow waters and built Pevensey Castle by the coast as it was then. Parts of the shallow waters began to silt up and many salt works operated across the region. Farmers in the middle ages gradually reclaimed the wetlands to graze sheep and small cattle but this led to beavers disappearing from the Levels. Networks of walls and ditches were built in a process known as inning leading to the formation of much of Pevensey Levels as we see it today.
Scientists continue to study the biodiversity in the Levels and Evan has undertaken to record and catalogue the wildlife found there. 70% of UK aquatic fauna have been found in the Levels and Evan believes we have only scratched the surface of what species may be found there. He explained that DNA tests on water samples from the Levels led to other new species being identified. The soils in the Levels have a PH of neutral to alkaline and the low lying water ditches act similar to fenland and may produce peat if sustained over thousands of years. The Levels reach the shingle beach where several specialist plants can be found. Behind the beach, areas of salt marsh contain rare crustaceans and plants.
Evan presented dozens of his accomplished and detailed photographs of plants and animals on the Levels. He showed us slides of bird species that breed in the Levels including several species of warblers and wagtails. Marsh harriers have begun breeding on the Levels and short eared owls feed there in winter. However, lapwing numbers are down to 15 pairs. Hundreds of swans live and breed on the Levels and other wetland birds overwinter here. Harvest mice can be seen living in the reeds and long grass. Other animals include stoats, weasels, frogs, toads and newts. Species of fish found in the waterways include perch, tench, rudd, pike and eel. Examples of unusual creatures found in the Levels include:
• The yellow loosestrife bee specialises in wetland areas and can be seen between July and September. It takes oils from the yellow loosestrife plant to waterproof its nest against flooding.
• The great silver diving beetle is a very large aquatic insect and very rare in the UK.
• Water measurer is a semi-aquatic insect with an elongated head and body. It ‘walks’ across the surface of still waters
. • Jumping Spiders
.
Evan presented pictures of specialist plants found in the Levels including:
• Greater water parsnip is a tall perennial that grows along water margins with umbels of white flowers in summer that are becoming scarce in the UK.
• Water violets are aquatic plants that are actually water primroses. They flower above the surface with much of the plant submerged below.
• Clumps of Milk Parsley are attractive to several butterfly species.
• Glassworts can be found in areas of salt marsh
. • Utricularia is a carnivorous plant.
• Pevensey Levels is the only site in Sussex where Fen Pond Weed may be seen spreading across the water.
Tussocks of grass, iris and other marginal plants will gradually fill in ditches if left unattended so each water course needs digging out within 20 years. The mud is left on the bank and becomes home to many beetles and other insects.
Some of the wetland species found in the Levels have survived since prehistory but its future hangs in the balance. Its SSSI and RAMSAR status offers some protection but some of the species are threatened. There is no one body that oversees the Levels. Its management falls to the land owners, farmers, environmental and conservation groups and volunteers. Some farm owners support the biodiversity and receive support from Natural England and the Environment Agency. However, tenant farmers are less likely or able to do so. Sussex Wildlife Trust manages Pevensey Marshes but the area is not generally open to the public. Maintaining water levels and quality is important to continue support for the many specialised and rare species. Far more water flows into the Levels than flows out naturally so 80% of the water is pumped out towards the sea. The water levels have to be monitored regularly and pumping controlled so that important areas do not dry out in summer.
The Environment Agency has granted Wealden Council and Southern Water license to release excess sewage water into the Levels in an emergency. The sensitive ecosystem could be damaged if sewage entered the Levels. A rising sea level at the coast could threaten to overtop the beach and spread salt water across the Levels.
The audience raised several questions at the end of the talk concerning the access, management and biodiversity of the Levels. A proposal was made to set up a “Friends of Pevensey Levels”.