Grazing Marsh - Cliffe Marshes

The PLA holds 475 hectares of land at Cliffe Marshes, historically retained due to a potential for port development purposes. Much of this land is wet grassland managed as semi-natural grazing marsh for cattle, sheep and horses (on selected areas, grazed under rotation). Today, stakeholders are playing an increasingly important part in the ongoing management of the marsh. The land is now given over to tenant farmers, who participate in the conservation of the land within the DEFRA North Kent Marshes ESA (Tier 1) scheme.

Click on image to view figure of Cliffe Marshes.

Important conservation work is undertaken as a result of the implementation of the ESA scheme, including grassland management, ditch maintenance, gate/wing fence replacement, and grazing management. Information received from DEFRA indicates that the scheme encourages breeding waders such as lapwing, redshank and a number of species of British owls occur in good numbers in the area.

A recent condition assessment of the land by English Nature confirmed that the holding is in a favourable condition generally. Some evidence of thistle infestation was identified in one specific area and some of the inter-tidal land along the shoreline is suffering from erosion due to coastal squeeze.

Regular checks are undertaken in regard to population by water vole. Given that this species is under threat, much effort is being given to maintaining habitat which will encourage water voles.

A proportion of the land at Lower Hope Point was for some time used for munitions production, and continues to show evidence of this in the presence of derelict buildings, drainage courses and spoil mounds. It does nevertheless support a wide range of the wildlife which makes the SSSI important.

Wildfowling

Historically, wildfowling has been permitted over a large part of Cliffe Marshes, within the regulations imposed by English Nature. Currently, areas within which shooting rights are granted are much fewer than earlier times. Modern wildfowling offers sport linked shooting with close controls maintaining wildfowl populations, and contributing greatly towards discouraging unregulated shooting.

Cliffe Conservation and Community Partnership (CCCP)

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