Action for Reedbeds
Reedbed is a rare habitat in Wales and the UK and a priority
for conservation because of the rich variety of plant and animal
life it supports. In the Vale of Glamorgan there are only a handful
of reedbed sites and most are small in size, making it all the more
important that they are protected.
At
Cosmeston Lakes Country Park a floating reed beds project is underway to
expand and enhance the reedbeds already on site.
The reedbeds at Cosmeston already support a rich diversity of
plant and animal life. Examples of species present include greater
spearwort, a nationally scarce plant, and water rail.
Over the past few years the area of
reedbed at Cosmeston has been doubled with the help of grant aid
from the Countryside Council for Wales. A
project to further extend the reedbeds is currently underway thanks
to funding from the Environment Agency Wales. New reedbed is being
created both by scraping and transplanting existing reedbed from
areas where management is needed and by planting up of commercially
grown plants.
Existing reedbed habitat is also being enhanced for wildlife.
This photograph shows a feeding ditch that has been cut into the
reedbed to provide feeding areas for the shy bittern, which prefers
not to feed in open water.