Discover Hazlewood Marsh
10
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
To stroll around Hazlewood Marshes is to witness the everchanging order and chaos of nature at work. When this extraordinary nature reserve was purchased in 1991, it was one of the last undrained freshwater grazing marshes on the Suffolk coast. Miles of freshwater dykes, lagoons and reedbeds interspersed with species-rich meadows, supporting an array of invertebrates and birds. All that changed in 2013. As autumn progressed, the high tides and strong winds took their toll, with St Jude’s Storm in October causing the seawall to fail. It was clear that these manmade defences wouldn’t last forever, despite recent repairs. Then, in the dead of night on 5th December 2013, an unprecedented tidal surge significantly overtopped the seawall. Under immense pressure from the volume of water now inside the reserve, the defences gave way, effortlessly blowing out a section of the wall.
Now at the mercy of seawater, the ecology of Hazlewood changed dramatically. How to manage these changes best for wildlife was the key question: to fight the damage or embrace it, letting nature lead the way? In the end, there was only one choice. Species disappeared overnight, including bittern, marsh harrier, water rail, and many plants and flowers. But with careful consideration and help from partners
Redshank.
ALAMY
Nestled on the edgelands of Suffolk, where sea meets land and salt meets marsh, Hazlewood Marshes encapsulates the changing ebb and flow of the coastline, sometimes gentle – but sometimes bold, dangerous, dramatic. It is here that wildlife thrives.
