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| East Anglian Plain |
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| Habitat: Fens (of national significance) |
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These are peatlands which receive water and nutrients from the soil, rock and ground water, as well as from rain. The vegetation is often low-growing, dominated by sedges, rushes and occasionally bog mosses.
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A small number of valley fens are found scattered throughout the East Anglian Plain. Most are small and isolated from other fens. Traditionally they were used for low-intensity grazing, peat-cutting or for collecting material for thatching. Most remaining ones are now managed for nature conservation, with grazing and thatching material as by-products.
There is a cluster of internationally important valley fens close to the sources of the rivers Waveney and Little Ouse, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. These support a wide range of wetland vegetation types, including two of international importance. The calcareous fens which are some of the best examples in the United Kingdom, are characterised by the presence of saw sedge in virtually pure stands where it has colonised open water. A wealth of herbs such as yellow loosestrife and purple loosestrife and sedges such as bottle sedge may occur, as the result of management in which the saw sedge becomes less abundant. Purple moor grass meadows which occur in the fens are some of the best in the United Kingdom. These wet meadows containing a mix of grasses (especially purple moor grass), sedges, herbs, and mosses are usually managed by grazing.
The internationally important Norfolk Valley Fens, partly in the East Anglian Plain natural area, are calcium-rich spring water fed fens, with permanently high water levels. Over 10% of the national resource is contained in this group of fens, and they are amongst the best in the country. The vegetation is composed of low-growing sedges, rushes, herbs and mosses, including rare and scarce species such as lesser tussock sedge, marsh helleborine, and broad- leaved cotton-grass.
A great many invertebrates are present in the internationally important fens, including the rare Desmoulin's snail, narrow-mouthed whorl snail and great raft spider.
Other fens are not common in the Natural Area. In Hertfordshire there are three small mires, one of which is a nature reserve and the other two are County Heritage Sites. In the Stour valley in Suffolk, Arger Fen and Cornard Mere Sites of Special Scientific Interest contain fen vegetation.
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