King’s National Nature Reserve declared in Devon
A ceremony is taking place today
Last updated 16th Feb 2024
Almost 90 hectares of land in Devon will today be formally declared a King’s National Nature Reserve.
The area on the Otter Estuary at Budleigh is already a wild bird sanctuary and it is only the third nature reserve in the King’s Series of National Nature reserves., with the second in Somerset
It's recently been altered - allowing the water to reclaim some of the land - which it was doing anyway because of climate change.
The Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve will stretch the equivalent of 128 football pitches across land owned by Clinton Devon Estates and managed by the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust. The iconic Otter Head at the mouth of the River Otter provides entry to 5km of easy access paths enjoyed by over 250,000 people each year.
Dr Sam Bridgewater, Director of Environment Strategy and Evidence, Clinton Devon Estates said: ‘We are very proud to have the Otter Estuary recognised as a National Nature Reserve.
"The recently completed restoration project took over a decade to plan, fund and deliver. To have the site’s conservation value recognised in this way makes it all worthwhile. The restoration work could not have been undertaken without the support of the Environment Agency who were our project partners in this endeavour.
“We have been delighted with how nature is thriving in this greatly enhanced and expanded wetland with almost every week bringing a new species sighting. It has also been wonderful to see the overwhelmingly positive response from the public who can easily access the site and connect with nature. Over the coming years we will continue to record how the habitats evolve and how wildlife benefits with important research work supported by a strong team of local citizen scientists.
“As well as managing this wonderful reserve, the efforts of our team are now focused on building on the nature gains we have seen with our long-term goal being to go further and create a ‘super’ National Nature Reserve that powers nature recovery across the agricultural hinterlands that link all of the component parts of the Pebblebed Heaths NNR.”