Press Release

National Dragonfly Centre Opens at Wicken Fen

Crowds gathered at Wicken Fen on Sunday 26 July, as Naturalist and Springwatch presenter, Chris Packham, formally cut the ribbon to open the Wicken Fen National Dragonfly Centre.

Speaking after cutting the ribbon, Chris Packham said:

"Wicken Fen is an incredibly special place and today's opening of the dragonfly centre is very special too. It will make this very special group of insects more accessible to the visitors and offer them the opportunity to learn more about them and how to help conserve them too. It was a genuine privilege to be asked to play a small role in the event and join in the thanks to all the partners who have made this exciting project possible especially the National Trust. My hope is that one of today's young visitors will have a passion implanted and enjoy a lifetime of interest in the natural world. That would be a just reward for all the hard work that the Dragonfly Project and the British Dragonfly Society have put in".

Wicken Fen is one of the best locations in the United Kingdom to spot Dragonflies with 21 species such as the Emperor Dragonfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Emerald Damselfly and Red Eyed Damselfly breeding on the fen. On a warm summers day thousands of these beautiful highly coloured insects can be seen performing their aerobatic flying displays along the waterways and ditches.

Right: A pair of
Large Red Damselflies
(George Taylor)

The Dragonfly Centre is a joint initiative between the National Trust, the British Dragonfly Society and the Dragonfly Project and is housed in a renovated former fen worker's cottage. Development of the centre has been assisted by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), a programme supported by the European Union and the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs. The centre received a grant of £37,000 the first awarded by the Fens Adventurers Local Action Group, the Governing body for the locally focussed RDPE programme in Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk Fens.

Fiona Bryant, Head of Sustainable and Rural Development for the East of England Development Agency said:

"The Dragonfly Centre is a good example of how the RDPE funding can be used to build on the environmental assets of the Fens and develop the area as a high quality visitor destination. This project will also meet RDPE objectives of improving access to the countryside and raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity."

Mike Carter, the Fens Adventurers Programme Manager said:

"The increased visitor numbers and resulting income will make a significant contribution to the long term sustainability and viability of Wicken Fen, which is one of the key environmental assets and land based tourism attractions in the Fens Adventurers area".

Additional grants for the creation of an easy access wildlife garden and ponds and interpretation boards have been received from the Environment Agency and Anglian Water.

Speaking on the Environment Agency's support for the centre, Geoff Brighty, Environment Agency Area Manager said:

"We are delighted to be able to support the development of the Dragonfly Centre and the wildlife ponds in collaboration with our long term partners, the National Trust. As icons of the Fenland landscape, dragonflies are very sensitive to environmental pollution and we want people to help us protect them and their unique habitat. This centre will enhance the Wicken Fen Vision area, and provide a unique wildlife and educational opportunity for the local community and visitors".

Right: Four Spotted Chaser
(Pam Taylor)

Today's dragonfly species are closely related to the huge insects that flew over our forests 300 million years ago. Most of the dragonflies life cycle is spent underwater, first as an egg and then as a larva. The larval stage can last two years or more, whilst flying adults mostly only survive a couple of weeks.

Wicken Fen and the Vision lands provide excellent wetland habitats but nationally dragonflies are in decline. The loss of wetland habitat due to development and intensive agriculture, together with run-off and wind drift from insecticides and herbicides is having a devastating effect on the survival prospects of many species.

Commenting on the decline of the Dragonfly, Stuart Warrington, National Trust's Nature Conservation Advisor for the National Trust said:

"The loss of wetland habitat is throughout Great Britain is having a major effect on the long term survival of many dragonfly species, In the last 40 years 3 species have become extinct and around a third of the 42 species regularly found in Britain are under threat of extinction. This is why landscape scale nature conservation projects such as the Wicken Fen Vision are important in aiding the survival of many of our dragonfly and other threatened species".

Above: Azure Damselfly (Andy Thompson)

The centre which will open at weekends throughout the summer will be staffed by knowledgeable enthusiasts and will house interpretation and displays on dragonflies and will offer a regular programme of events from guided walks, dragonfly safaris to introductory and advanced courses.

Dr Pam Taylor, President of the British Dragonfly Society said:

"The Centre will showcase what wonderful fascinating creature's dragonflies are and will show visitors what they can do to help conserve dragonflies and their wetland habitats to aid these jewels of air and water."

Ruary Mackenzie Dodds of the Dragonfly Project said:

"Our dream has been realised. Wicken Fen is a site which provides the perfect habitat for dragonflies and an ideal place to see and study dragonflies."

Ends

Notes to Editors
1. 21 Species of Dragonfly have been recorded breeding at Wicken Fen:-
Emperor Dragonfly
Hairy Dragonfly
Migrant Hawker
Brown Hawker
Southern Hawker
Common Hawker
Common Darter
Ruddy Darter
Black-Tailed Skimmer
Four Spotted Chaser
Scarce Chaser (a scarce species which colonised Wicken Fen in 2005)
Broad-Bodied Chaser
Banded Demoiselle
Large Red Damselfly
Emerald Damselfly
Blue Tailed Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Small Red-eyed Damselfly (colonised Wicken Fen in 2006)
Common Blue Damselfly
Variable Blue Damselfly (a scarce species nationally but abundant at Wicken Fen)
Azure Damselfly

2. Wicken Fen was purchased by the National Trust in 1899, the first Nature Reserve owned by the Trust. It is widely recorded as the most species rich nature reserve in the country with over 8100 recorded species.

3. The Wicken Fen Vision is an ambitious 100 year project by the National Trust to create a 53 sq km 'green lung' for Cambridgeshire and the East of England and will involve the Trust acquiring approximately 5300 hectares of farmland which will be managed for nature conservation. The Trust aims to re-establish a mosaic of fenland habitats helping to protect many threatened and endangered species of wildlife whilst attracting new species to the area. The reserve will also significantly enhance public access to the countryside for leisure, recreation, exercise and education.

4. The National Trust is Europe's biggest conservation charity and looks after special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for ever, for everyone. People and places are at the heart of everything it does. 3.5 million members, 50,000 volunteers, 500,000 school children, and millions of visitors, donors and supporters help the Trust look after its 300 historic houses and gardens, 700 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of open countryside. www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

5. The Fens Adventurers Rural Development Programme is funded by Defra, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rurdev/index_en.htm and local authorities. The funding is managed locally by Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridgeshire ACRE and regionally by the East of England Development Agency.

6. The Environment Agency is the leading organisation for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales. It is responsible for making sure that air, land and water are looked after by today's society, so that tomorrow's generation inherit a cleaner, healthier world.

Further Information
For further information please contact: Howard Cooper, Communications Officer, Wicken Fen Tel 01353 720274 Mobile 07826 874133 or e-mail howard.cooper@nationaltrust.org.uk