Natural History
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SOUTHERN MARSH ORCHID, LOCALLY COMMON, BUT THREATENED BY OVERGRAZING OR LOSS OF WET MEADOW HABITAT | The river and river valley provide a wide range of habitats: management work needs to be directed at sustaining this diversity without favouring one set of species to the exclusion of others: the general loss of watermeadows and overshading of watercourses, and general changes in the management of farmland in the valley present particular challenges in the different world of the twenty-first century. |
DAMSEL FLY
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| In addition, water quality and flow problems (on the Southern Wey catchment most prevalent on the Slea tributary) have introduced new problems of habitat change and instability; alien introductions, from mink to pondweeds to balsam all pose threats (or the reality) of species loss and require new approaches to management. |
NATIVE CRAYFISH: NOW SURVIVING MOSTLY IN SMALL POCKETS ON THE WEY, OUT-COMPETED AND INFECTED BY ESCAPED COMMERCIALLY REARED AMERICAN CRAYFISH |
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| Nonetheless, the rivers and streams of the Southern Wey catchment still offer a rich and diverse environment for water and wetland flora and fauna. | ||
