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The future: a whole river valley teeming with willdife
Ham Wall nature reserve - a flourishing wetland that shows what the Lydden Valley could look like in the future with our management, and your help
During the last fifty years South-East England has seen constant and relentless pressure on its wildlife and natural environment.
Vast areas of the South-East have been covered in concrete and tarmac; heavily-used roads fragment precious habitats; fields have been drained dry to boost crop yields. As a result many of our native species are suffering.
We work hard to identify, and where possible recreate, wetland habitats that can not only support threatened wildlife populations, but can also be a resource for wildlife in the wider area.
Due to the intense pressure to which the wildlife of the South-East is subjected, wetland recreation in this region is a high priority for us to pursue.
With your help we can create more wetland nature reserves in South-East England, making it a region teeming with wildlife once more.
Below you'll find some of the fantastic wildlife that your kind donation can help bring back to Lydden Valley.
BitternConcerted efforts by us and other groups have increased the bittern's numbers in the UK from an all time low of 11 in 1997, to the current level of 51 known booming males. Bitterns are totally dependent on reedbeds for their survival, and under our management bitterns may soon breed in the Lydden Valley.
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LapwingSunlight dancing on a lapwing's back can give it a shimmering silk-like effect that is breathtakingly beautiful. Sadly this farmland bird – still familiar in parts of the UK – has suffered significant declines in the last 25 years. Breeding lapwings declined by over 30% on lowland wet grassland between 1982 and 2002. It is now on the 'Amber List' of birds at risk, and one of the species on which we are concentrating special efforts. With your help we can see the fields and sky teeming once more with the sound of lapwings.
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Broad-bodied chaserTurning from a miniature underwater monster into a winged creature of shimmering beauty, the dragonfly's life cycle is one of the marvels of nature. By reversing the effect of years of drainage in the area, we hope to see the marshes and meadows of the Lydden Valley jewelled with dragonflies like the magnificent broad-bodied chaser.
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Brown hareBrown hares are one of the best-loved wild creatures of our farmland, well known for their 'mad March boxing'. They don't dig burrows like rabbits, and rely on speed to escape danger. Brown hares have suffered huge declines over the last 100 years. Returning the Lydden Valley to traditional grazing marsh should help their numbers recover here.
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Marsh harrierAlmost lost to us in the 60s, this majestic raptor of the reedbeds could become a resident of the Lydden Valley, once we recreate a freshwater wetland for wildlife.
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Water voleThe much loved Ratty from Wind in the Willows, this captivating little creature's decline throughout the UK mirrors the last fifty years' increasing loss of wetlands and constriction of rivers. The reedbeds and myriad water channels we intend to bring back to this river valley should encourage the water vole to thrive in this corner of the Garden of England.
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FrogbitYou can still find frogbit in the Lydden – one of the prettiest free-floating aquatic plants to be found in the British Isles. The small yellow and white flower resembles a tiny waterlily, and the circular leaves provide cover for tadpoles, small fish, and a whole community of underwater invertebrates.
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Reed buntingThis plump, sparrow-sized bird of farmland and wetlands has suffered a serious population decline making it a 'Red List' species. In our hands, the Lydden Valley will become an ideal habitat for reed buntings.
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