Conwy - wetland restoration

This is a newly created nature reserve on the banks of the Conwy Estuary in north Wales. The reserve was formed following the construction of the Conwy tunnel in the 1980s. Silt excavated from the estuary to create the tunnel was deposited behind a sea wall. Excavation within the newly created area and reprofiling has helped to create 15ha saltmarsh and tidal mud, 15ha brackish lagoons 2ha of reedbed and 9ha of coastal grasssland. The reserve is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [http://www.rspb.co.uk] which has created the habitats including reedbeds to provide nesting and feeding areas for resident reed buntings and summering reed and sedge warblers. Careful control of water levels in the lagoons is necessary to maintain suitable conditions for nesting and wintering waders and wildfowl.