Ditch and windpump at Wicken Fen - geograph

Fenland is a multi-site

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

in the

Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Kees ...

(a region in eastern England). It was designated in 2005 to protect three

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

sites in

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

with an area of 619 ha: *

Chippenham Fen Chippenham Fen and Snailwell Poor's Fen is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Fordham in Cambridgeshire, England. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, a Ramsar wetland site and a Special Area of Conservat ...

() *

Wicken Fen Wicken Fen is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Wicken in Cambridgeshire. It is also a National Nature Reserve, and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is protected by international designations as a Ramsar wetland si ...

() *

Woodwalton Fen Woodwalton Fen is a 209 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the parish of Woodwalton, west of Ramsey in Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a Ramsar wetland site of international importance, a National Nature Re ...

()

Ecology

The SAC features two types of habitat which are protected under Annex One of the

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...

: *

Molinia ''Molinia'', or moor grass, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the grass family, native to damp moorland in Eurasia and northern Africa. They are both herbaceous perennial grasses. The genus is named after Juan Ignacio Molina, a ...

meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (Molinion caeruleae) *

Calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

fens with ''

cladium mariscus ''Cladium mariscus'' is a species of flowering plant in the Cyperaceae, sedge family known by the common names swamp sawgrass, great fen-sedge, saw-sedge or sawtooth sedge. Previously it was known as elk sedge. It is native of temperate Europe an ...

'' and species of the Caricion davallianae

Management

The Fens were originally a much larger wetland, but they have mainly have been drained for the benefit of agriculture and today less than 1% of the original undrained wetland habitat remains. As a remnant wetland in a modified landscape, Wicken Fen in particular needs active management to maintain water levels. Because of shrinkage of the surrounding arable land, water tends to drain out of Wicken Fen. Measures have been taken to prevent drying out, including pumping water up from a drainage channel.

Other levels of protection

As is normal for SACs in Great Britain, the three sites are protected as

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. The sites are also protected under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

References

Special Areas of Conservation in England Fens of England Wetlands of England {{Cambridgeshire-geo-stub