Targeted conservation in the Mend the Gap area

Date: 22nd August 2024

Conservation Target Areas (CTAs) offer opportunities for wildlife conservation efforts to have maximum positive impact and they’re an important strategic focus for Mend the Gap.

The Thames Wallingford to Goring CTA includes Cholsey Marsh, a riverside haven of some 19 hectares that is home to important marsh habitat and is managed by Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

Mend the Gap is funding BBOWT to support the management of not just Cholsey Marsh reserve, but the wider CTA land that runs north and south from this point along the river. This includes surveying the nationally rare Desmoulin’s whorl snail, which is believed to have a colony here, and gathering a set of baseline data that will allow any populations to be monitored going forward.

One of the most exciting developments is the appointment of a Project Officer, funded by Mend the Gap and hosted by BBOWT.

Phil Bruss, who was previously reserve warden with BBOWT at College Lake in Buckinghamshire, will manage works on Cholsey Marsh and engage with local private landowners in this CTA. By working closely with the Oxfordshire Wildlife Sites Project, jointly run by BBOWT and Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC), it’s expected that at least four Local Wildlife Sites in this CTA will be left with new management plans by project end, a positive legacy for this important riverside CTA. BBOWT will also work with parish councils and local volunteer groups to carry out works and establish monitoring activities in the area.