ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Oxwich Bay

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Oxwich Bay

Introduction

Biological diversity is a concept that has developed over millions of years as a consequence of physical geographic and environmental processes.

The concept of biodiversity encompasses not only genetic and species diversity but also the multiple dimensions, dynamics, and processes of organisms and their ecological systems or ecosystems. Thus, biodiversity science investigates the past and present forms, patterns, functional traits, and interactions of ecological components, including genetic sequences, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and landscapes.

Discussion

Habitat Description

Location

Oxwich Bay is a bay which is located on the south of the Gower Peninsula, Wales.

It is a beautiful place with sand dunes, salt marshes and woodland as part of its landscape. Oxwich Bay includes a 2.5mile long beach which is sandy and warm, and easily approachable from the village situated in Oxwich. The place is a famous spot for swimming and water sports which encompass activities like diving, sailing, water skiing and windsurfing (Colding, 2007).

Types of Fauna and Flora

The dune system exhibits every stage of natural dune succession from frontal embryo dunes to fixed dunes through to mature woodland. The rich diversity of flora is maintained in it with species such as early purple, pyramid, southern marsh and bee orchid. These are present along with wild herbs and other non-flowering dune species such as lichens, bryophytes and fungi.

The frontal dunes are dominated by marram grass with pockets of sea holly present amongst bare shifting sand. A diverse insect population is also present including the butterflies small blue, dingy skipper, common blue, brimstone and orange tip.

The salt marsh at Oxwich displays a range of successional stages made up mainly of plants from the middle-upper stages of salt marsh such as Sea lavender, Thrift and Sea purslane together with muddy creeks containing pioneer species like glass wort and salt marsh grass.

The reed beds are alive and include colonies of Reed warbler, Sedge warbler and the nationally rare Cettis warbler. A scattering of scrub species of mainly Willow and Sallow grow in the reed beds but not in quantities that would cause drying out or shading out of important flowering plants. The various ditches are clear and function as drains, keeping water moving through the wetland system. Otters may be seen using the ditches and open water to feed on the numerous fish (Avise, 2008).

Geology

Oxwich Bay has a number of special features including sand dunes, salt marsh, reed bed, open water and ditch systems, fen, calcareous grassland, maritime grassland, dry heath, coastal scrub, vascular plant assemblage, invertebrate assemblage, semi-natural broadleaf woodlands, wet woodland and geomorphology. Individual species such as Dune Gentian, Cetti's Warbler, and Narrow mouthed whorl snail are also features in their own right.

Other Elements

Healthy populations of regionally and nationally rare species such as Juniper, purple grom well, round leaved wintergreen and Dune gentian will all be present. Invertebrates such as the strand line beetle, under shoreline debris, Grey bush cricket and a nationally rare mining bee.

Keen eyes can see the tiny Narrow Mouthed Whorl snail living ...