Brown Moss nature reserve

Shropshire Wetlands

An amazing place for people Our work so far and for wildlife A section of the Meres and Mosses Covering parts of , and Natural Area, which overlaps with the , the Shropshire Wetlands Shropshire Wetlands Futurescape, has Futurescape is an area of vast importance now been awarded status as a Nature for both people and wildlife. The many Improvement Area (NIA) by Defra, meres (pools) and mosses (bogs), as well and has secured Heritage Lottery as extensive peat soils (moors), that make Fund (HLF) funding for a Landscape up this landscape are part of the larger Partnership Scheme. Meres and Mosses Natural Area. So vital is this area in providing essential habitat for These awards mark a turning point for birds and other wildlife that over 2,000 our work in this area and are a definite hectares of it have been designated as step in the right direction. By working Ramsar sites of international importance. in partnership we can start to combat the present and future threats to Water voles, white-faced darter dragonflies wildlife throughout the meres and and breeding waders, including lapwings, mosses, and these programmes are curlews and snipe have all made a home now being delivered by a partnership here on the wetlands. But overall, wetland team based at Shropshire Wildlife DECLINECreating habitat of wildlife here is in decline. Trust. We hope to continue working for the lapwings Capercaillie with our partners in the meres and Over the past few centuries, the meres mosses to deliver nature conservation CapercaillieLapwings are are stunning woodland birds, grouse, made and mosses have experienced an alarming gains long into the future. confineddistinctive toby nativetheir strikingpine forest white, and decline and loss of biodiversity. It is someblack andcommercial iridescent conifer plumage, and shocking to think that since 1600, 90% of But our ambitions to conserve this plantations.splendid crest. Their During needs the are breeding not wetlands have been drained and that in unique habitat and its wildlife don’t straightforwardseason, which runs as they from require February vast Cheshire alone, 60% of the 40,000 ponds stop there. We’re also focused on the expansesuntil June, of male suitable lapwings habitat. put Maleson an that existed in the 1870s had disappeared restoration and preservation of vital areimpressive black, huge acrobatic and unmistakable, display to by the 1990s. The impact of this decline is wetlands in the floodplains of the especiallyattract a mate. so when As they they tumble gather and to huge. It is believed that 25 species of plant , north of in performroll through their the mating sky, you ritual can at see have become extinct and several others Shropshire. These wetlands support traditionalflashes of lektheir sites. largely They black spend and a lot are now marked as endangered. The least significant areas of remnant peat and ofwhite time colouring. feeding onIt isblaeberries likely that thison water lily, for example, can now only be important numbers of breeding thealternating ground, of but white may then also black be found gave found at Colemere. lapwings and curlews. A crucial part of inthe trees, bird itsfeeding name, on derived pine needles. from the our work here is to organise and carry TheOld EnglishUK capercaillie word “hleapewince”, population and We’re working hard to restore these out wading bird surveys. These provide rangewhich hasmeans declined “leap rapidly,with a flickerand the in essential peat-based wetland habitats. us with a better understanding of speciesit”. Tales is like now these at risk are of a extinction.key part of Healthy wetlands will not only benefit current breeding wader numbers and Conservationour cultural and and natural restoration heritage, of theand wildlife, but the local communities who enable us to focus the habitat habitatwe must is doessential more to if protectthey are this to depend on them for a fresh water supply restoration efforts so vital in protecting thriveiconic onceand much-loved more. bird. and flood protection too. these special places. Crewe

Nantwich

Wrecsam/

Malpas

Whitchurch

Market Drayton

Oswestry

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Newport KEY main road Futurescape area

Shropshire “ Farmers may not realise that some of the less productive, wetter Wetlands areas of their farms are vital for lapwings and other threatened birds. The Higher Level Stewardship scheme can pay farmers to improve these areas for wildlife. We’re doing what we can on our farm, and encourage others to do the same – hopefully we’ll see many more lapwings back in Shropshire.” Georgina Dobson, The Wall Farm, Weald Moors

What’s next? Get in touch There is still much to be done in the Shropshire Wetlands We want to hear your ideas about how we can work Futurescape and we will continue to work together with together to make the Shropshire Wetlands even better landowners and farmers, and our key partners, to make this for people and wildlife. landscape and its vibrant habitats better for wetland wildlife. RSPB Midlands Regional Office The long-term vision is to restore the meres and mosses on Mike Shurmer a landscape scale, taking a much more ambitious approach 46 The Green, South Bar to returning this area to its former glory. We hope to create Banbury, Oxfordshire a mosaic of wetland wildlife havens, resulting in thriving OX16 9AB populations of wetland wildlife and a recovery in the T 01295 253330 numbers of breeding snipe, redshanks and lapwings.

The Shropshire Wetlands Futurescapes project is kindly Natura 2000 – Europe’s Futurescapes is The RSPB is a member nature for you. We are generously supported of BirdLife International, supported by: working together across the by the EU Life+ a partnership of conservation EU to safeguard Europe’s rich Communications organisations working to give and diverse natural heritage Programme nature a home around the world for the benefit of all

Futurescapes is the RSPB’s contribution to landscape-scale conservation throughout the UK. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654. Images: lapwing by Roger Tidman (rspb-images.com) and Brown Moss nature reserve by hmproudlove (istockphoto.com). Maps produced by RSPB CDMU © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. RSPB licence 100021787. 020-1-1224-13-14