Shaped by man, reclaimed by nature
Why
have our nature reserves retained their wildlife interest while other similar
sites continue to lie empty? Surprisingly, the credit lies with our ancestors –
and we have plenty of evidence to prove it.
We can all appreciate that St Catherine’s Hill and Broughton Down are wonderful
chalk downlands, that Blashford Lakes is ideal for birdlife and that Winnall
Moors is home to some outstanding fens and hay meadows. But why are they the way
they are?
The answer to these questions is complex but in part lie in the history of man’s
involvement in a site. You simply cannot separate the wildlife on a reserve from
that site’s historical land use. In fact, today the Wildlife Trust is the
custodian of some of our most important archaeological features – and over the
years, our reserve officers have made some astonishing finds, including ancient
buildings and long-lost artefacts.
All of our reserves have been affected by the activities of man. Woodlands have
been coppiced, rivers straightened and coastal grazing marshes enclosed and
drained. Indeed a number of our most picturesque reserves are, in effect, post
industrial landscapes. Old Burghclere Lime Quarries, as its name suggests, is a
prime example; Noar Hill and Headley Gravel Pits were quarries and Swanwick
provided clay for the nearby brick works.
What is remarkable is how quickly nature can re-occupy an area once the worst
excesses of our involvement have passed. It is clear that for much of the
wildlife we enjoy on our reserves today, the credit lies hundreds of years ago
– and with some pretty unlikely people.
Here are some other local sites that man helped shape for wildlife:
Winnall Moors
Man has used the meadows of Winnall Moors for centuries. Hyde Meadows – as it
was formally known – has links dating back to medieval times, when it was used
by the monks from the nearby Hyde Abbey to graze their livestock.
Itchen Navigation
The Itchen Navigation provides an important habitat for aquatic wildlife but it
only exists at all thanks to the commercial ambitions of local traders. The
Navigation is a modified channel of the River Itchen system and it was
constructed in the late 17th century by combining existing river and irrigation
channels and new cuts.
Testwood Lakes
The landscape found at Testwood Lakes was formed by the digging of gravel, which
has lead to some fascinating archaeological discoveries.
Archaeologists found 143 stakes which belonged to a Bronze Age bridge, believed
to be approximately 3500 years old, together with a piece of a Bronze Age boat.
These discoveries paint a picture of the Testwood area as a trading hub 1,500
years before the Romans arrived on these shores and illustrates perfectly that
man has been changing our landscape for as long as we have been here.
For more information about the history and wildlife of all our nature reserves,
please visit www.hwt.org.uk
or call 01489 774400