FEATURE
WELCOME TO THE WILD WEST
From the Pebblebed Heaths to the estuaries of the Jurassic Coast, some very special things are happening to unite land and sea conservation efforts in East Devon
The county of Devon stands above nearly any other in England, in terms of richness in biodiversity and differing natural environments. From the vast, sprawling moorlands of Dartmoor National Park, to the lush, rolling valleys of its numerous Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), all this county beholds is sandwiched between two of Britain’s most popular heritage coastlines.
Preserving this natural state is no mean feat; ensuring it thrives is even more challenging. Today, doing so is of critical importance when considered against the backdrop of the climate crisis.
Conservation and land management efforts are seen as a key tool in fighting global warming, as the preservation of moors, grasslands, forests and wetlands helps in the sequestration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and this is before we consider how it supports the myriad ecosystems that exist within them.
Fortunately in East Devon, this is exactly what the expert team of land managers, property developers, conservationists, biologists, farmers, educators and horticultural specialists – among others – do, at Clinton Devon Estates.
Established more than 700 years ago, and owned by Devon’s largest landowner, Baron Clinton, Clinton Devon Estates is a land management and property development company, responsible for managing 25,000 acres across three separate estates in the county. These include the Pebblebed Heaths, the Beer and Clinton Estates – in East Devon – and Heanton Estate, in North Devon.
The Estates’ labours of love include its stewardship of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths and the management of the ambitious Lower Otter Estuary Restoration Project, which unite the sprawling Devonshire lowlands with its Jurassic-age coastline.
Recognition for Clinton Devon Estates’ work has been forthcoming. In May 2021, the East Devon Pebbledbed Heaths became one of Britain’s 225 National Nature Reserves (NNRs), building on its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area (SPA).
Dr Sam Bridgewater, Head of Wildlife and Conservation for Clinton Devon Estates, tells us the status is significant as it “helps ensure the future of the heaths and their wildlife. National Nature Reserves benefit from the highest level of conservation protection available under UK legislation.
It’s also recognition of the hard work not just of the staff of the three partner management organisations, but the many volunteers who give so much of their time to help, all of which is invaluable.
The management partners are the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust, Devon Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. Recognition of the 1,160-hectare site as a NNR, both protects and establishes East Devon Pebblebed Heaths’ important habitats, species and geology, and provides an ‘outdoor laboratory’ for research.
A biodiversity audit in 2016 documented more than 3,000 species of animal across the range of habitats on the heaths, 375 of which have high conservation designations. These include birds and insects such as Dartford warblers, nightjars and the southern damselfly.
Working alongside other environmental groups and governmental bodies, Clinton Devon Estates is creating vital frameworks for other landowners to follow in land recovery and conservation processes. “We’re really looking at how an NNR like ours can act as an entry point for land recovery on a much larger scale,” Dr Bridgewater says.
“It could, in effect, be the catalyst for what we consider a super NNR. We’re looking at how we can join the dots not just within the Heaths itself, but around the wider landscapes. It’s very exciting.”
One such example is the Lower Otter Restoration Project, which will reconnect the lower estuary of the River Otter to its floodplain, in a practice called realignment. This will allow for the creation of 55 hectares of wetlands, while providing a natural, long-term solution to the threat climate change poses around the estuary, such as a rising sea level and failing sea defences.
The River Otter Estuary already covers an area of 33 hectares and along with the cliffs of Otterton Point is designated a SSSI, thanks to its saltmarsh habitat and adjacent Triassic sandstone rocks. The project will also create new intertidal habitats, which gives nature more space to thrive. This is particularly valuable to over-wintering and migratory birds.
These rare environments support other plants and animals that are specially adapted to thrive in the extreme conditions created by tidal flooding. The new creek network will also provide a highly productive nursery, feeding and spawning ground for commercially and ecologically important fish. These include herring, cod, whiting, sea bass, mackerel, salmon, sea trout and plaice.
An adjunct to the Lower Otter Restoration Project has been the reintroduction of beavers to the River Otter – the first wild population in Britain in 400 years – reflecting Dr Bridgewater’s team’s insistence on using nature itself to make realignment and recovery projects a success. “We want to see what benefits beavers can bring, in terms of wetland habitat creation,” he says.
“We believe their ability to attenuate or stop waterflows will create natural flood defences. But we also must consider the issues they may equally cause, such as the building of culverts, the felling of trees or the flooding of roads. We must be smart about these decisions.”
Conservation and realignment efforts are offering natural solutions to very human problems. While the Pebblebed Heaths and the encompassing coastal stretches around the Lower Otter Estuary do not just exist to provide natural habitats to the rare and wonderful, they’re landscapes of significant economic and sociological importance to human beings.
The Pebblebed Heaths are visited by more than 400,000 people every year – serving as a vital arena to locals during the Covid pandemic – while patches carry significant agricultural value. Similarly, the River Otter is a source of employment for many, as much as it is a route to the ocean.
Image above: East Devon Pebbledbed Heaths became one of Britain’s 225 National Nature Reserves in May 2021.
For Dr Bridgewater, ensuring its survival for these reasons is just as important as preserving and proliferating natural habitats for non-human species: “I see landscape recovery as something where you look at what’s good about the landscape, and see what you want to enhance and expand; see what you want to sort out – say water quality issues, loss of pollinators across agricultural landscape and so forth – and you come up with strategies to fix that.”
Ultimately, he adds, this is what true land management is about and its benefits reach beyond the hectares of natural beauty his team presides over: “It’s as much about stimulating the diversification of our land activities and helping make them productive, as it is about conserving nature.
Image below: the Lower Otter Estuary, a natural habitat to the rare and wonderful, also has significant economic and sociological importance to human beings.
It’s as much about stimulating the diversification of our land activities and helping make them productive, as it is about conserving nature.”
“This approach stimulates your regional economy and makes it a much greener one. Ultimately, this is what it looks like to be totally inclusive when we talk about sustainability.”
To learn more visit clintondevon.com.
For more information and advice on land management initiatives and conservation approaches, please contact Edward Holloway in our Rural Asset Management team - edward.holloway@knightfrank.com