Land Management &Conservation
The land management and conservation activities of the Association over the past 30 years have made a significant contribution to the areas ecological wellbeing with Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and National Nature Reserve (NNR) status. LDWA have worked closely with both the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and Natural England over many years for the benefit of the whole Estuary.
The Association has won significant awards for their conservation efforts and investments over recent years from both BASC – with the prestigious ‘Stanley Duncan Trophy’ and English Nature with an award in recognition of how the marshes are managed at Lytham, Warton and Freckleton.
“Lytham & District Wildfowlers Association has won significant awards for their conservation efforts & investments.”
An average of 340,000 water birds over-winter in the estuary making it the most important wetland site in Britain. Some of these migratory species include Pink Footed Geese, Wigeon, Knot and Dunlin. The Ribble is also home all year round birds such as Mallard, Teal, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Shelducks and Swans.
On top of this, LDWA has worked in coalition with BASC in the placing over 20 bird nesting boxes along our flood banks. LDWA has also teamed up with a local pest controller who regularly gets called out in the spring and summer months to bees that have nested inside bird boxes in peoples gardens. Rather than destroying the nests he prefers to relocate the boxes. LDWA has become a main spot for these relocations, with the boxes being placed along our flood banks where there is ample wild flowers and the bees can go about their business in peace and away from harm or interference.
The benefits of conservation work are evident through other bird species thriving on our marshes.
The conservation we carry out yearly on the marshes benefits a whole range of other birds and wildlife. In recent years we have seen increases of birds including Egrets, Eiders, Terns and breeding pairs of Avocets to name a few. These are all positive signs of well managed land.
