A 12½-acre stretch of ancient Bedfordshire countryside could become a long-term refuge for rare wildlife if the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire can raise £98,500 to buy it.
Pulloxhill Marsh, close to the Trust’s Flitwick Moor nature reserve, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest that has avoided the effects of modern farming and development. The wetland is fed by natural springs and supports reed and sedge, along with rare Bedfordshire plants including blunt-flowered rush and marsh valerian.
The site also includes species-rich grassland, where pignut grows in unusual abundance. During one visit, the Trust’s chief executive found 12 invertebrates he had not seen before.
Protecting a rare wetland
The Trust has already raised £30,000, but an application for further grant funding was unsuccessful. It is now approaching other funders and asking for public support to complete the purchase.
If secured, Pulloxhill Marsh could become an extension to Flitwick Moor. Planned management includes fencing to allow carefully managed cattle grazing, practical conservation work and wildlife surveys. Any surplus funding would support other conservation work in Bedfordshire.
Why it matters for Britain
Protecting the marsh would preserve a rare wetland and grassland habitat in England, while supporting practical conservation and wildlife monitoring locally. The project would also strengthen the nearby Flitwick Moor nature reserve.
