Fenland

General site character

• Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (5%)
  
• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (70%)
  
• Other arable land (5%)
  
• Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (20%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 6410 Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (Molinion caeruleae)

  Fenland contains, particularly at Chippenham Fen, one of the most extensive examples of the tall herb-rich East Anglian type of M24 Molinia caerulea – Cirsium dissectum fen-meadow. It is important for the conservation of the geographical and ecological range of the habitat type, as this type of fen-meadow is rare and ecologically distinctive in East Anglia.

• 7210 Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae  * Priority feature

  The individual sites within Fenland cSAC each hold large areas of calcareous fens, with a long and well-documented history of regular management. There is a full range from species-poor Cladium-dominated fen to species-rich fen with a lower proportion of Cladium and containing such species as black bog-rush Schoenus nigricans, tormentil Potentilla erecta and meadow thistle Cirsium dissectum. There are good transitions to purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea and rush pastures, all set within a mosaic of reedbeds and wet pastures.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• 1149 Spined loach Cobitis taenia
• 1166 Great crested newt Triturus cristatus