Introduction | SSSIs | Important Wildlife Sites | Species | Habitats

Introduction

The Gwent Levels comprise the low-lying land between Cardiff and Chepstow, sandwiched between the Severn Estuary and the valleys of Wales. A network of ditches drain the land which is an example of one of the most extensive areas of reclaimed wet pasture in Great Britain - the largest area of its kind in Wales and one of the largest in Britain.

Much of the land under the Board's control is in one of six Sites of Special Scientific Interest. This is because many of the Gwent Levels ditches are rich in both plant and animal life, some of which are rare or very scarce. The variety of ditch management ensures the survival of these important species.

Otters are widespread (though rarely seen) and some of the ditches are home to Britain's smallest flowering plant, the rare Rootless Duckweed. Dragonflies are abundant including the scarce Hairy Dragonfly.

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Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are located within the board's area - totalling over 6000 hectares - over 50% of the Board’s total area.

They are:

The Nash & Goldcliff SSSI Whitson SSSI Peterstone & Wentlooge SSSI St Brides SSSI Magor & Undy SSSI Redwick & Llandevenny SSSI Newport Wetlands SSSI

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Important Wildlife Sites

There are a number of important wildlife sites on the Gwent Levels.

The Newport Wetlands - is run by the Countryside Council for Wales in partnership with Newport City Council and the RSPB. It has over 100 acres of reed beds and nearly 1000 acres of wet grassland and supports nationally important bird populations.

Magor Marsh - is a 64-acre reserve run by the Gwent Wildlife Trust and is one of the few areas of natural peat left on the Gwent Levels. Its ancient ditch systems and its water levels are carefully managed to maintain its important populations of plants, insects and birds.

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Species

Over 20 scarce water plants occur in the Gwent Level ditches.

The frequent cleaning of some reens (large ditches) provides ideal conditions for Britain's smallest flowering plant, the rare Rootless Duckweed, (Wolffia arrhiza), which only occurs in Wales on the Gwent Levels.

Ditches that are cleaned less frequently can support scarce plants like Hairlike Pondweed (Potamogeton trichoides) and Arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia). Hairy Dragonflies (Brachytron pratense), along with many more common species also like these ditches.

The Board's area also supports a healthy otter (Lutra lutra) population, and in places the Board has provided special tunnels to allow them to move from ditch to ditch without having to cross main roads and risk of being killed.

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Habitats

Water is the common factor to the important Gwent Levels habitats.

• Drainage ditches criss-cross the Levels allowing floods to be controlled or water to be provided for farming.



• Ditches that are cleaned out every year to ensure good flood control have lots of open water and many have lots of floating plants, (including some of the rarest).



• Ditches cleaned out less frequently have more emergent plants and are often very good for insects and birds.



• Ditches cleaned out very infrequently may become completely overgrown (often by with hedges) and have no open water visible. They can be the least valuable ditches for the area's wetland wildlife.

Wet grass farmland supports many breeding and wintering birds as well as some important plants of damp meadows.

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