Nature reserve first to record 10,000 species

By Lauren Beavis

A nature reserve has become the first in UK to record 10,000 species - with the discovery of a unique moth that imitates a wasp.

The National Trust’s Wicken Fen, in Cambridgeshire, hit a total when a rare species of moth was recorded on the reserve for the first time.

The six-belted clearwing has a striped, yellow abdomen to mimic the appearance of a wasp, which helps it avoid predators.

Recent finds include the formidable ant beetle, a scarce plant in the pea family called grass vetchling, and the evocatively-titled chamomile shark - a type of moth.

New bird records include a white-tailed eagle that roosted for one night in 2022 and a white stork that was seen several times in summer 2023.

Alan Kell, Countryside Manager at the National Trust, said: “Reaching 10,000 recorded species is a proud achievement for everyone who has ever taken an interest in this special corner of the country.

“When the National Trust bought Wicken for £10 back in 1899, it was only two acres in size.

"A concerted effort over time to expand, restore and care for it has created this haven for wildlife that is a thousand times the size it was, and we believe, the most biodiverse recorded reserve in the UK.

“I never fail to be surprised by what we find here, and it is absolutely a case in point that if you give nature the opportunity and the space, it will do remarkable things.”

Wildlife records date back 200 years on the fenland nature reserve - and during the 20th century, 13 species that are new to science were discovered on the reserve.

But experts at the National Trust says it is during the last 25 years that records have really surged.

They have explained how the boom in wildlife has been the result of a major expansion of the nature reserve that started in 1999, combined with warmer temperatures, which have caused many insects to move further north, and more sophisticated monitoring methods.

It was back in 1999 when the National Trust decided to compile a central checklist of biodiversity as part of its Wicken Fen Vision - a century-long plan to vastly increase the size of the reserve.

With the help of professional and amateur naturalists, the Trust recorded a total of 7,421 species.

Since then, the site has more than tripled in size, from 225 hectares to 820 hectares: an expansion which is credited with boosting the area’s abundance and diversity of wildlife.

While over 10,000 different species have been recorded on the fen, some of them are now extinct at Wicken, namely the swallowtail butterfly, whose extinction due to habitat loss provided the inspiration for the Wicken Fen Vision.

However, the charity hopes species records will continue to climb as it today announces a major partnership with The Nature Recovery Project to help restore vast tracts of lowland peat, both at Wicken Fen and elsewhere in the country.

James Berry, Head of Strategy at The Nature Recovery Project, said: “The Nature Recovery Project is excited about the opportunity to unite the critical environmental benefits of lowland peatland restoration with a sustainable commercial purpose.

"If the project can demonstrate that healthy, thriving peatlands can successfully coexist with profitable food production and nature, we anticipate that this approach could be adopted widely across both existing and historically degraded peatlands.

"This would unlock a powerful pathway for stopping emissions from the nation’s largest natural emitter.”

Technology increasingly plays an important role in the recording of species, explains wildlife experts.

For the last two years, the nature reserve has taken part in The Bioscan Project led by The Wellcome Sanger Institute.

DNA samples of insects found on the reserve, as well as other National Trust sites, are analysed and added to a central database to improve understanding of UK insect diversity and population trends.

Alan added: “It is vital that we continue to restore as much fenland habitat as possible.

"To do so we’ll need to work in partnership, including with funders like The Nature Recovery Project, and increasingly beyond the physical boundaries of the reserve with fellow landowners.

"The more space we can provide and the more wildlife ‘corridors’ we can create, the greater chance we have of being able to support even more species - especially in this changing climate.”

Wicken Fen is also home to species such as the glow-worm, common lizard, fen nettle, water vole, cuckoo, silver barren moth, water scorpion, greater bladderwort and the Norfolk hawker.