Basically, as their name suggests, reedbeds are places where the common reed, Phragmites astralis, is dominant. The common reed is a plant that thrives in wet areas, so reedbeds are classed as wetlands. As a species the reed is a fascinating plant. A member of the grass family it can measure over 2m in height. It is specially designed to move quickly into new wetland areas, its roots spreading rapidly, often many metres every year. And, if it can not spread by roots, its light fluffy seeds can be borne on the wind many miles until they chance on an uncolonised area of wetland.

Despite its adaptations though reedbeds, whilst never a common habitat in the UK, are now rarer than ever due chiefly to neglect and pollution. Their decline mirrors across the whole of Europe and the opportunities reeds find to exploit new wetlands are now very few and far between in our much modified countryside where wetland sites are at a premium.

With the loss of reedbeds, the special wildlife that depends on them is also being lost. Despite their scarcity, the South West region holds more than its fair share of the UK’s reedbeds, and the few large reedbeds we have are important. Until recently, they have been relatively neglected even by conservationists.

A rare habitat the South West region has about c600 ha or 12% of the UK total of c5,000 ha. The fourteen sites larger than 10ha account for over half (58%) of the regional resource these are listed in the following table.

Dorset holds almost half of the regional resource, with a particular concentration of (large) sites along the coast from Abbotsbury east to Poole Harbour (totalling 218 ha).

The following are examples of reedbed species which are of conservation concern and depend largely of the habitat:

Estimates of habitat loss suggest typically 5–10% by area between the 1970s and 1990s.There are three main problems that face reedbeds, and these affect all our key sites in the South West.

First of all, reeds can not grow in polluted water. Unfortunately much of the water in the areas where there are reedbeds is polluted by the chemicals (ie fertilisers) that are washed off farmers fields.

Secondly, many of our former wetlands have been drained by farmers who wish to use the land for growing crops. No water simply means no places for reeds to grow. This has been of key concern to conservationists for many years.

Thirdly, where reedbeds still remain, they are often neglected. Like many habitats, reedbeds if left to their own devices will quite naturally turn into something else by the process of natural succession. In the case of reedbeds what this means is that over time the amount of dead reeds build up leading to a slow drying out of the area. This is compounded by trees such as willows seeding themselves and drying the land further.

Traditionally, reeds were cut for many uses, including thatching of houses. This kept the dead reeds from building up, prevented natural succession and ensured a healthy reedbed. Nowadays the thatching of roofs is uncommon, and where it does occur the reeds are often imported from eastern Europe. With lack of management reedbeds are neglected and gradually dry out and turn to willow woodland.

With these three pressures it is no surprise that we have lost 10% of our reedbeds since the 1960s.

Fortunately reedbeds can be recreated. In the South West two big projects are underway. In the Avalon Marshes just to the west of Glastonbury the RSPB, Somerset Wildlife Trust and English Nature are all working hard to turn old peat workings into 500ha of reedbed. Further north it is proposed that three large reedbeds be created in the Cotswold Water park, an area where currently sand and gravel is being extracted. The first should be complete by 2005.

Of the fourteen large sites in the region mentioned above, all but one (Huntworth Brick Pits) are designated as SSSIs, and most are under sympathetic ownership and management (eg the RSPB nature reserves).which should ensure their protection.

In the future, it may be possible to create more reedbeds, especially along the coast where sea level rise means that what is now land will start to become sea.