Key objectives

• Raise awareness of the importance of reedbed and fen habitat.
• Review extent and condition of reedbed and fen habitat in Barnsley.
• Undertake positive conservation management of reedbed and fen habitat in wetland sites to achieve and maintain favourable condition.
• Extend and create areas of reedbed and fen on suitable sites in the Dearne valley, including opportunities provided by flood defence work, in a nature recovery network
• Collect and analyse records of populations and assemblages of wildlife species in reedbed and fen sites including Grass Snake, Harvest Mouse and breeding birds.
• Ensure that all suitable reedbed and fen wetland sites with significant wildlife are identified as Local Wildlife Sites or SSSIs.

Roles

Land mangers, including Barnsley Council, the Environment Agency, the RSPB, trusts:

• manage reedbed habitat, following best practice.
• take up opportunities to restore, extend and create reedbeds, and connecting habitats, where other priority habitats are not damaged.

A number of organisations including land fill bodies may offer grants for reedbed creation and improvement

Barnsley council as a planning authority:

ensure in relevant cases that the biodiversity value of reedbeds are maintained and enhanced. It can set conditions to protect reedbeds and require EIAs where appropriate.

Voluntary groups and volunteers:

• help with reedbed creation, extension and management where appropriate.
• help provide information about the condition of our reedbeds and collect records of the wildlife seen there.

Actions taken

• Old Moor and Wath Ings
  - initial reedbeds established BMBC 1996
  - reedbed consolidation and expansion
    RSPB 2003. Continued consolidation.
• Reedbed restoration at Worsbrough reservoir. BMBC. BBT 2006
• Bolton Ings reserve
  - initial reedbed from farmland 2007;
  - reedbeds extended 2011, RSPB, EA, NIA
• Adwick reserve created RSPB, EA, 2012
• ‘Wings across the Ings’ reedbed creation between Broomhill Flash & Wombwell Ings, Garganey Trust in  wider scheme. 2019-20
• Projects to enhance reedbed at Old Moor and Wath Ings. RSPB 2019-22
• Designation of Dearne Valley Wetlands as SSSI. Natural England 2021/2

Proposed actions

• Maintain inventory of existing/potential reedbed and fen wetland sites
• Continued conservation in line with SSSI requirements on Dearne Valley wetlands
• Smithy Marsh: extend current marsh/fen
• Further reedbed restoration work at Worsbrough reservoir if approp. BMBC
• Investigate creation of new areas of reedbed and fen n Dearne Valley including from flood defence work
• Explore further reedbed and fen enhancementt at Bolton Ings and Adwick wetlands.
• Ensure valuable reedbed and fen is designed SSSI or LWS.

Marking progress

• No reduction in extent of significant reedbed and fen habitat
• Increase in extent of reedbed habitat suitable for important species.
• Sites and extent of reedbeds and fen in ‘favourable condition’.
• Number and populations of species increasing in these habitats

Reedbed and Fen Actions