Orwell Estuary is a 1,335.7 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the River Orwell and its banks between Felixstowe and Ipswich in Suffolk.[1][3] It is part of the Stour and Orwell Estuaries Ramsar site internationally important wetland site[4][5] and Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.[6][7] It is also in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[8]
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | Suffolk |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TM 221 380[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 1,335.5 hectares[1] |
| Notification | 2003[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Stour & Orwell Estuaries |
| Designated | 13 July 1994 |
| Reference no. | 662[2] |
The estuary is described by Natural England as of national importance for its breeding avocets, its other breeding and wintering birds, its vascular plants and its intertidal mud habitats. It also has a rich and diverse assemblage of invertebrates and a nationally important community of algae.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Orwell Estuary". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Stour & Orwell Estuaries". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Map of Orwell Estuary". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS): Stour and Orwell Estuaries" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Stour and Orwell Estuaries". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Stour and Orwell Estuaries". Special Protection Area. Natural England. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds Directive. Stour and Orwell Estuaries" (PDF). Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ^ "Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2013–2018" (PDF). Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB. p. 76. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "Orwell Estuary citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
