Extending main pond at Llangloffan Fen

Desalting leat at Dowrog Common

Dowrog Common, Llangloffan Fen and Pembroke Upper Mill Pond nature reserves have been fortunate enough to receive just over £6000 of funding to enhance open water habitats. These monies have come from the Freshwater Habitats Trust, Pembrokeshire Biodiversity Partnership and Natural Resources Wales.

The works took place in February and involved the use of contractor machinery to desilt areas of open water, clear channels and create new scrapes. Part of the work on Dowrog Common involved clearing a section of a historic leat of silt and vegetation to promote better flows of water through the site whilst enhancing habitats for freshwater invertebrate and amphibian species. In future years, additional sections will be cleared with the aim to completely reopen the waterway. At Llangloffan Fen two new scrapes were created to promote the establishment of rare aquatic plant species such as pillwort and three lobed water crowfoot. The main pond with the bird hide was also extended, pushing back encroaching vegetation and promoting open areas of water for waders and other bird life. Work at Pembroke Upper Mill Pond involved digging out vegetation and silted banks from impinging on the main pond whilst also preventing the spread of invasive species such as Himalayan balsam.

Nathan Walton, Wildlife Trust Officer for Pembrokeshire stated, “I am very grateful for the support of monies from the Freshwater Habitats Trust, Pembrokeshire Biodiversity Partnership and Natural Resources Wales which enabled key habitat work to take place on my reserves this winter. Although larger sources of funding are increasingly harder to obtain, smaller pots of money seem more readily available and when matched with other pots, still enable us to deliver real solid projects with positive outcomes for wildlife.”