Reed bed Fire - The cost

A sad sight greeted me when I visited the scene of last weekend's fire at the reedbed at Newport Wetlands.

Luckily (?) the fire started just as the staff were leaving the RSPB centre at 5:15 on Saturday, so the Fire services were call imeadiately, and due to the fine work of the fire services,Two crews attended, damage was kept to a minimum.

Although, dealt with quickly, the damage to the reedbed was extensive and totalled almost 10% of the habitat type at Uskmouth.

What affected me more that the devastation to the actual reed, which as it grows with it's crowns in water will recover quickly, was the thousands of small white specks in the reed, closer inspection showed these to be the ashen remains of water and other snails.

These snails are a major part of the ecosystem and will take a while to recover, meaning that the beds are likely to me a little sterile for a while after they re-grow.

This image is a part burned snail shell that seamed to sum up the horror of what was more than likely an act of wanton vandalism