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54-599: Stodmarsh NNR has an area of 250 hectares (620 acres) and lies within the SSSI . The reserve is open to the public. It consists of a number of different habitats that are important for wildlife: It is designated as one of only 35 "spotlight reserves" in England by Natural England in the list of national nature reserves in England . This is not strictly speaking a "natural" habitat – the area around Grove Ferry has been restored to wetland habitat by English Nature (now Natural England) and

108-580: A continuation of the historical management of the land. Where an owner or occupier is unwilling or unable to carry out management, ultimately the conservation body can require it to be done. Public bodies which own or occupy an SSSI have a duty to manage it properly. Site management statements for SSSI in Scotland are available to download from the NatureScot website using the "Sitelink" facility. The law protecting SSSIs now covers everyone, not just public bodies and

162-474: A long way upstream of a wetland SSSI might require consultation. Some developments might be neutral or beneficial, even if they are within the SSSI itself – the critical point is whether they harm the interest features. The owners and occupiers of SSSIs are required (Scotland, England, Wales) to obtain consent from the relevant nature conservation body if they want to carry out, cause or permit to be carried out within

216-497: A marked reddish or brownish tinge. Each leaf has one vein either side of the midrib. There are no rhizomes or floating leaves. The inflorescences are up to 6 mm long with 4-6 flowers with a short peduncle (5–20 mm long, occasionally more). Within its range, sharp-leaved pondweed is relatively easily identified from all other pondweeds except the closely related grass-wrack pondweed ( P. compressus ) by its combination of strongly flattened stems, sclerenchymatous strands in

270-451: A possible candidate being natural lowland river-floodplain wetland areas, which could create disturbed areas for this plant to exploit. Alternatively, it may have been associated with a now extinct species such as beaver. Sharp-leaved pondweed has declined markedly in both Britain and Denmark. On the British and Swiss Red Lists for Vascular Plants it is listed as Critically Endangered and it

324-407: A proposed activity would not affect the interest or is beneficial to it, then the conservation body will issue a "consent" allowing it to be carried out without further consultation. If it would be harmful, the conservation body may issue consent subject to conditions or refuse the application. If consent in writing is not given the operation must not proceed. Conditions may cover any relevant aspect of

378-428: A site may contain strata containing vertebrate fossils, insect fossils and plant fossils and it may also be of importance for stratigraphy . Geological sites fall into two types, having different conservation priorities: exposure sites, and deposit sites. Exposure sites are where quarries , disused railway cuttings, cliffs or outcrops give access to extensive geological features, such as particular rock layers. If

432-425: A standard list for that country. The ORCs/OLDs are not "banned" activities – the list includes activities which would damage the interest, but also many which might be beneficial. For example, " grazing " (a standard item on the list) would require consent, even on a chalk grassland or heathland where grazing is an essential part of management. In England and Wales the list of OLDs is almost the same for each SSSI – and

486-456: A typical fauna for this habitat, including bearded tit, sedge warbler and reed warbler, and the subsidence lakes and artificial pools are popular with birdwatchers for migratory and wetland birds. The NNR has become famous for attracting rare and endangered bird species. In 2020 Natural England issued formal advice on nutrient neutrality in the Stour catchment, in response to concern about the state of

540-482: Is almost exclusively restricted to shallow, circumneutral, species-rich ditches on lowland grazing marshes, often with fairly high conductivity. Although there are some fairly strong populations remaining in Britain, these are vulnerable to changes in farming practice, pollution and sea level rise. As ditch systems are an artificial habitat type, sharp-leaved pondweed presumably relied on a now destroyed habitat in Britain,

594-413: Is along a lane from Stodmarsh village (grid ref TR221609, postcode CT3 4BE). There is a small voluntary charge for parking (as of 2022). Alternative parking is available at Grove Ferry (TR236631, CT3 4BP), operated by Kent County Council , where there is an obligatory charge. A public footpath leads through the reserve between these two points, with bird hides at intervals. Another, longer, path runs along

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648-446: Is closely related to P. compressus , P. zosterifolius and P. mandschuriensis , all of which also have sclerenchymatous strands. Potamogeton acutifolius is native to Europe, including the UK, Czech Republic, Balkans and Denmark. In Britain it has always been rather rare and now has a very restricted distribution to suitable habitat in south-east England. In Britain, P. acutifolius

702-516: Is governed by published SSSI Selection Guidelines. Within each area, a representative series of the best examples of each significant natural habitat may be notified, and for rarer habitats all examples may be included. Sites of particular significance for various taxonomic groups may be selected (for example birds, dragonflies , butterflies , reptiles, amphibians , etc.)—each of these groups has its own set of selection guidelines. Conservation of biological SSSI/ASSIs usually involves continuation of

756-427: Is nearly as ancient as the ditches, and is notable for its coastal character, with divided sedge Carex divisa , saltmarsh rush Juncus gerardii and narrow-leaved bird's-foot trefoil Lotus tenuis as typical constituents. Eight species of bat frequent the meadows, most notably notule and serotine , which often feed on dung beetles. Marsh harriers and hen harriers also favour this habitat. The reedbeds have

810-420: Is not necessarily absolute—generally it requires the SSSI interest to be considered properly against other factors. Local planning authorities are required to have policies in their development plans which protect SSSIs. They are then required to consult the appropriate conservation body over planning applications which might affect the interest of an SSSI (such a development might not be within or even close to

864-441: Is often pronounced "triple-S I". Sites notified for their biological interest are known as Biological SSSIs (or ASSIs), and those notified for geological or physiographic interest are Geological SSSIs (or ASSIs). Sites may be divided into management units, with some areas including units that are noted for both biological and geological interest. Biological SSSI/ASSIs may be selected for various reasons, which for Great Britain

918-640: The Isle of Man and Northern Ireland , is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man . SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves , Ramsar sites , Special Protection Areas , and Special Areas of Conservation . The acronym "SSSI"

972-449: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2010 ). Access to SSSIs is the same as for the rest of the countryside of the relevant country. Most SSSIs/ASSIs are in private ownership and form parts of working farms, forests and estates. In Scotland, people may use their rights of responsible access to visit SSSIs. When designating an SSSI/ASSI, the relevant nature conservation body must formally notify

1026-877: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 , but the current legal framework for SSSIs is provided in England and Wales by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , amended in 1985 and further substantially amended in 2000 (by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 ), in Scotland by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and in Northern Ireland by the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 . SSSIs are also covered under

1080-561: The Water Resources Act 1991 and related legislation. An SSSI may be made on any area of land which is considered to be of special interest by virtue of its fauna , flora , geological or physiographical / geomorphological features. SSSI notification can cover any "land" within the area of the relevant nature conservation body, including dry land, land covered by fresh water . The extent to which an SSSI/ASSI may extend seawards differs between countries. In Scotland an SSSI may include

1134-629: The Lampen Wall in the 1980s and west of the Grove Ferry road in the 1990s. Nearly all of the land within the SSSI was, prior to the 20th century, flood meadow derived from saltmarsh about 1,000 years ago, as the Wantsum Channel silted up. The only exception is a small area of alder carr beside the Lampen Stream below the village of Stodmarsh. Only a small proportion of the original grassland remains;

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1188-560: The ORC lists for each SSSI and removed those activities that were unlikely to happen and if they were to would be unlikely to damage the protected natural features, and other activities adequately regulated by other statutory regimes. The intention of this was to remove the need for owners and occupiers to obtain SSSI consent as well as licences/ permits from other authorities (who must consult NatureScot prior to determining such applications). Purely geological SSSIs often have much shorter OLD lists. If

1242-581: The SSSI Register, hosted by The Registers of Scotland . Further information about SSSIs in Scotland is available on the NatureScot website. The decision to notify an SSSI is made by the relevant nature conservation body (the appropriate conservation body ) for that part of the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland Environment Agency , Natural England , NatureScot or Natural Resources Wales . SSSIs were originally set up by

1296-414: The SSSI any of the activities listed in the notification. Formerly these activities were called 'potentially damaging operations' or PDOs. Under the current legal arrangements they are called 'operations requiring consent' or ORCs (Scotland), or 'operations likely to damage the SSSI interest' or OLDs (England & Wales). The list of ORCs/OLDs for each SSSI is unique to that site – though all are derived from

1350-402: The SSSI itself). The effect of this is to prevent development which harms the interest – except where the value of that interest is over-ridden by some more important factor, for example a requirement for a major road or port or oil pipe. The requirement for consultation covers any development which might affect the interest, not just developments within the SSSI itself – for example, a development

1404-492: The SSSI. The background to this was that two of the lakes in particular, Stodmarsh Lake in the NNR and Collards Lake in the SSSI, had been judged to be in unfavourable condition owing to enrichment by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, which are thought to result mainly from discharges from sewage treatment works. The pollutants enrich the lakes, causing an algal bloom and fish die-off, threatening populations of protected birds and

1458-598: The areas of open water came about as a result of the flooding of areas used for gravel extraction or undermined by mining subsidence. The Stodmarsh NNR now forms a central and ecologically important feature in the Kentish Stour Countryside Project and is an important site for the protection and encouragement of critically endangered aquatic mammal species such as the European otter and the water vole . The Nature Reserve car park, operated by Natural England

1512-577: The characteristic species of the area. The SSSI was notified a few years later, in 1951, and the National Nature Reserve was later established on the (former) mining company's land west of the Lampen Wall. Over the next two decades, the NNR was expanded to encompass most of the land eastward along the valley as far as Grove Ferry. The ecological importance of the reserve was outlined in the Nature Conservation Review in 1977, where it

1566-487: The company is not empowered to undertake improvements without regulatory approval, and that any such improvements would be unlikely to occur before 2030. 51°18′29″N 1°10′19″E  /  51.308°N 1.172°E  / 51.308; 1.172 Site of Special Scientific Interest A site of special scientific interest ( SSSI ) in Great Britain , or an area of special scientific interest ( ASSI ) in

1620-837: The designating authority is NatureScot ; the role in Wales is performed by Natural Resources Wales (formerly the Countryside Council for Wales ). In the Isle of Man the role is performed by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture . Geological SSSI/ASSIs are selected by a different mechanism to biological ones, with a minimalistic system selecting one site for each geological feature in Great Britain. Academic geological specialists have reviewed geological literature, selecting sites within Great Britain of at least national importance for each of

1674-553: The difficulty of reliably identifying them. Potamogeton acutifolius was described in 1815 by the German botanist Johann Link . The specific epithet , acutifolius , meaning "acute leaved", is derived from Latin acutus (pointed, acute), and -folius (-leaved), referring to the pointed leaf tips. Within the genus Potamogeton , Sharp-leaved pondweed is within the Section Graminifolii (fine-leaved pondweeds). It

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1728-489: The ditches include the nationally rare shining ramshorn snail Segmentina nitida , the nationally scarce Desmoulin's whorl snail Vertigo moulinsiana , the great silver water beetle Hydrophilus piceus , and a micromoth called the Kentish neb, Monochroa niphognatha , which is found nowhere else in Britain. Water voles , otters and beavers are frequently seen in the ditches, as are 17 species of Odonata . The grassland

1782-461: The exposure becomes obscured, the feature could in principle be re-exposed elsewhere. Conservation of these sites usually concentrates on maintenance of access for future study. Deposit sites are features which are limited in extent or physically delicate—for example, they include small lenses of sediment , mine tailings , caves and other landforms . If such features become damaged they cannot be recreated, and conservation usually involves protecting

1836-459: The feature from erosion or other damage. Following devolution, legal arrangements for SSSIs (Scotland, England, Wales) and ASSIs (Northern Ireland) differ between the countries of the UK. The Isle of Man ASSI system is a separate entity. NatureScot publishes a summary of the SSSI arrangements for SSSI owners and occupiers (other than public bodies) which can be downloaded from its website. Legal documents for all SSSIs in Scotland are available on

1890-405: The interest), but not illegal trail biking. This loophole was closed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and section 19 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Funding for the monitoring of SSSIs in England has been cut from £1.58 million in 2010 to £700,000 in 2018, causing concern that many have not been inspected over the last six years, as required by guidelines. Since

1944-473: The interested parties and allow a period for them to make representations before confirming the notification. When creating a new SSSI/ASSI the designation has legal effect from the date of notification. The interested parties include central government, local planning authorities , national park authorities, all the owners and occupiers of the land, relevant public bodies such as the utility providers e.g., water companies . In Scotland, NatureScot must also notify

1998-464: The intertidal land down to mean low water spring or to the extent of the local planning authority area, thus only limited areas of estuaries and coastal waters beyond MLWS may be included. In England, Natural England may notify an SSSI over estuarial waters and further adjacent waters in certain circumstances (section 28(1A & 1B) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by Part 2 of Annex 13 of

2052-663: The leaf (giving the submerged leaves an opaque appearance compared with the transparent appearance of other pondweeds) and leaves with sharply pointed (acute) tips. Grass-wrack pondweed differs in having blunter tips to the leaves, leaves with 2 veins either side of the midrib, and infloresecences with 10–20 flowers on long peduncles, 28–95 mm long. Hybrids with P. berchtoldii ( P. × sudermanicus Hagstr. ) and P. friesii ( P. × pseudofriesii Dandy & G.Taylor ) have been recorded. Both are rare. In northeast Europe, DNA evidence indicates that hybrids with P. compressus are fairly frequent, but often overlooked because of

2106-402: The list for an SSSI will only omit activities impossible on the particular SSSI (such as fishing where there is no water), and things requiring planning permission (which are covered by the local planning authority consultation process). In Scotland, and following the implementation of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, Scottish Natural Heritage (the former name for NatureScot) reviewed

2160-519: The most important features within each geological topic (or block ). Each of these sites is described, with most published in the Geological Conservation Review series, and so becomes a GCR site . Almost all GCR sites (but no other sites) are subsequently notified as geological SSSIs, except some that coincide with designated biological SSSI management units. A GCR site may contain features from several different topic blocks, for example

2214-400: The natural and artificial processes which resulted in their development and survival, for example the continued traditional grazing of heathland or chalk grassland . In England, the designating body for SSSIs, Natural England , selects biological SSSIs from within natural areas which are areas with particular landscape and ecological characteristics, or on a county basis. In Scotland,

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2268-979: The new Act, often with boundary changes. This complex process took some ten years to complete for the several thousand SSSIs. For the purposes of selecting the original tranche of SSSIs, Natural England's predecessors (the Nature Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy Council and English Nature ) used a system termed "areas of search" (AOSs). In England these were largely based on the 1974–1996 administrative counties (with larger counties divided into two or more areas), whereas in Scotland and Wales they are based around districts. The individual AOSs are between 400 km (150 sq mi) and 4,000 km (1,500 sq mi) in size. There were 59 AOSs in England, 12 in Wales, and 44 in Scotland. Watsonian vice-counties were formerly used for selection over

2322-399: The notification is then confirmed or withdrawn (in whole or part). At the time of the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , many SSSIs were already in existence, having been notified over the previous decades under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 . Each of these was considered in turn, and either denotified, or renotified —brought under the provisions of

2376-447: The owners and occupiers of SSSIs. Previously, activities by "third parties" were not illegal under the SSSI legislation. This meant that damaging activities such as fly-tipping , intensive bait-digging or trail biking on an SSSI were only prevented if done (or permitted) by the owner or occupier – not if done by trespassers or under public rights. The effect was, for example, to allow control of legal trail biking on SSSIs (where damaging to

2430-517: The proposed operation and may, for example, limit its timing, location or intensity. The process is slightly different where the owner or occupier is a public body, but the effect is broadly similar. The relevant nature conservation body sends all SSSI owners and occupiers a site-specific 'site management statement' describing the ideal management (there may be grants available to help fund management). Owners and occupiers are encouraged to carry out this management, which in many (but not all) cases will be

2484-557: The referendum to leave the EU in 2016, more than 450 staff have been transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Neglected areas include Exmoor , the Lake District , the Pennines , and The Wash . The process of designating a site as of Special Scientific Interest is called notification; this is followed by consultation with the site's owners and occupiers, and

2538-473: The relaxation of grazing, created a haven for migratory birds and other wildlife. Interest in the natural history of the Stodmarsh valley was stimulated in 1947 by the field club of The King's School, Canterbury , which spent a year studying the site under the guidance of arts teacher David Stainer and biology master Cyril Ward. Their report includes a botanical survey by Francis Rose , which describes some of

2592-560: The relevant community councils and community group having registered an interest in the land. The notification includes a description of the land and the natural features for which it is notified ("the citation"), a boundary map, and a list of the acts or omissions (activities) that the nature conservation body regulates through the issue of consents. The various laws protect the interest features of SSSIs from development, from other damage, and (since 2000 in England) also from neglect. Protection

2646-519: The rest has suffered from gravel extraction, subsided into shallow lakes, been buried under mine waste or deliberately flooded and converted to reedbed. A key feature of the reserve is the drainage ditches, which have mostly remained intact through all these changes. Many of the species of importance in the site are associated with these ditches. The most significant, perhaps, is the nationally rare pondweed Potamogeton acutifolius , which occurs alongside ten other pondweed species. Other notable species in

2700-541: The river to meet the reserve path at each end. The reserve may be visited at any time; entry is free. The valley of the River Stour around Stodmarsh was for centuries a series of flood meadows used primarily as pasture for cattle and horses. At the beginning of the 20th century, Chislet Colliery was established by the Anglo-Westphalian Coal Syndicate, from where a layer of coal-bearing rocks beneath

2754-470: The valley was mined, which eventually caused subsidence of the surface above. By the 1930s, extensive shallow lakes had formed between Fordwich and the confluence of the Stour and the Lampen stream, causing a cessation of farming in this area. The coal company used some of the land on the south side of the river for dumping spoil from the mine. The presence of large water bodies and stands of reedbed, combined with

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2808-545: The whole of Great Britain. Potamogeton acutifolius Potamogeton acutifolius is a European species of aquatic plant in the family Potamogetonaceae , known by the common name sharp-leaved pondweed . It is threatened and declining in at least part of its range. Sharp-leaved pondweed grows annually from turions and seed, producing rather lax plants branching near the surface with strongly compressed stems and long, rather grass-like leaves that are 35–100 mm long and 1.5–5 mm wide and dark green, often with

2862-556: The wildlife of the SSSI in general. The 'advice' obliges local authorities to ensure that any new developments within the catchment of the River Stour do not add to the nutrient burden of the river, which has effectively stalled the building of thousands of houses in Canterbury and Ashford. Southern Water , the utility company responsible for operating the sewage works in question, responded with its own position statement, which states that

2916-423: Was described as the largest reedbed in southern England and ranked as a Grade 1 site of national importance, primarily for its ornithological interest; most notably for the presence of a small population of bitterns , which thereby became a flagship species for the NNR. In order to enhance the habitat for these birds, hundreds of hectares of reedbed was subsequently created on the flood meadows immediately east of

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