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Home > Spaces and species > WaterLife > Floodplain grazing marsh

Floodplain grazing marsh

brown cattle grazing in floodplain marsh at Sandy Smith Nature Reserve, Bedfordshire

Grazing marsh at Sandy Smith Nature Reserve. Photo by Richard Woolnough

National lead organisation: Natural England

Local lead organisation: Environment Agency

As the name suggests, floodplain grazing marsh is found along rivers, in the floodplain. Grazing marsh is pasture or meadow with ditches, which is regularly flooded. It is similar to lowland meadow but in general grazing marsh is flooded more than it is dry. Most sites are grazed but some are cut for hay or silage.

Floodplain grazing marsh in Bedfordshire and Luton

The largest areas of floodplain grazing marsh are in the Ouse, Ivel, Ouzel and Flit valleys. Some of our grazing marshes are of good quality. But most are now fertilised grasslands with few species and little ecological value. Fenlake Meadow Local Nature Reserve in Bedford is a good example of floodplain grazing marsh.

Check out these links to learn more about floodplain grazing marsh:

National action plan for coastal and floodplain grazing marsh

Bedfordshire & Luton action plan for floodplain grazing marsh

Floodplain Meadows Partnership

Advice on managing BAP habitats: coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (Buglife)

Lowland grassland management handbook (Natural England, CCW, SNH and The Wildlife Trusts)

Targeting areas for the restoration and recreation of coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (Natural England)

Grazing marsh assemblages and site classification using invertebrates (Natural England)

After minerals: coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (RSPB, Natural England, MIRO and DCLG)

The importance of livestock grazing for nature conservation (Natural England)

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