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// Gwent Wildlife Trust


carrying excess rain water from the hills is taken across the Caldicot Level on a ‘flyover’ passing majestically over the ditches that flow beneath it. Rain which falls on the ground behind the sea wall is collected by an ancient series of structures called ‘grips’ (shallow surface ditches in the field). It then flows through a short section of piped drain in the headlands and down to the field ditches. These field ditches then unite to form the reens and main rivers (not like conventional rivers) that head to the sea wall, where they pass through a tidal flap known as a gout, into a tidal creek known as a pill. Only at this point does the water stop posing a risk to the farms and settlements behind the wall. The unique language and terminology still used today is testament to the importance placed locally on these structures, maintained by generations of local landowners for over 1,000 years.


Precisely because of these gradual changes, followed by centuries of stable maintenance of the watercourses, the Gwent Levels now has one of the best assemblages of aquatic invertebrates in the country. The grips, ditches, reens and main rivers provide a myriad of opportunities for different species. In 1963, to protect a unique area of peatland and watercourses near Magor, what is now Gwent Wildlife Trust was formed, and the Nature Reserve at Magor Marsh was established. One speciality of the reen and ditch system is the king diving beetle Dytiscus dimidiatus – it is the UK’s largest water beetle, truly an impressive and intimidating sight.


With every field across the 5000 plus hectares of the Gwent Levels bounded by a watercourse, the wildlife potential is staggering. From the world’s smallest flowering vascular plant Wolffia arrizha, to the top predators like grass snake, little egret, and otter, there is both space and variation in habitat to provide wildlife with opportunities. There have sadly been recent extinctions including the water vole. These died out on the Gwent Levels probably within the last 20 years – the then high population of North American mink being the final straw for this charismatic species. Having established effective mink control thanks to a band of dedicated volunteers, water voles have been reintroduced at the Magor Marsh Nature Reserve. They have thrived and in the course of three years have spread as far as the Newport Wetlands Reserve at Goldcliff, a distance of at least 7km. In recognition of this extraordinary diversity of wildlife, most of the Gwent Levels is now heavily protected, including Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), and RAMSAR designations, but as we know these designations in themselves do not guarantee protection against changes in land management or development.


The line of sea wall differentiating fresh water from saline is an earth bank (in places armoured with stone or concrete) rising at most about eight metres above the adjacent ground. In normal conditions, it appears impregnable but on many occasions despite its continued maintenance it has been breached. An extreme example was the ‘Great Flood’ of 1607 when the whole of the Gwent Levels was flooded to a considerable depth, as shown by the chest-high flood markers on many affected churches. The resulting devastation would have been immense. In living memory, overtopping events have occurred and I have heard of children sent to school on horseback to avoid the flood waters!


Although sea level rise is imperceptibly gradual to us, its effects have


contributed to the partial loss of saltmarsh along the coastline of the Gwent Levels, as deeper water allows more wave energy to reach and erode this intertidal habitat. With the many variables of accretion, erosion, rate of rise and probability of a short-lived storm surge coinciding with a high astronomic tide, it is certain that maintenance of this ‘defence’ will require considerable work in coming years. This line of protection is likely to accelerate the loss of the saltmarsh habitat as its natural inland progression by necessity is firmly blocked.


Bordered by Cardiff and Newport, there are considerable pressures placed upon the area that pose many threats to the existence of the people and wildlife on the Levels: •Expansion of adjacent urban and industrial areas


• The proposal for 23km of new motorway across the Gwent Levels which is currently being decided through a Public Inquiry


• Agricultural policy driving farming ever further away from traditional methods


• The inevitable uncertainty about the security of any sea defence


With these threats and others in mind, many people and organisations have come together to form the Living Levels Partnership, hoping to support the wildlife, people and historic landscape across this special place. The partnership brings together the collective expertise of a diverse range of people and raises the profile of the Gwent Levels. Heritage Lottery funding of £321,000 has been secured to develop the project over an 18-month period, with a further £2.5 million available from 2018 after final approval. The project aims to improve the condition and collective understanding of the Gwent Levels, particularly its history, archaeology, wildlife and vulnerabilities.


The Living Levels Partnership is made up of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (the lead organisation), Gwent Wildlife Trust, Natural Resources Wales, Newport City Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Cardiff City Council, Rick Turner (archaeologist), Cardiff Story Museum, Sustrans, National Trust, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and Buglife.


Little Egret Andy Karran


FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE WORK OF GWENT WILDLIFE TRUST VISIT: WWW.GWENTWILDLIFE.ORG


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