Scopelophila in Swansea - Reestablishment update

Treatment area, showing location of planted clump (red) and scarified
ground sown with crumbled Scopelophila mixed with donor substrate.
Iona Graham & Gareth Bowen

Scopelophila was last recorded in Swansea in 2007 by Sam at the Six Pits Branch and was one of the features that led to the site being designated as a SSSI in 2017.  Even before the site was notified, it was already known the species may have been lost due to illegal dumping of cuttings at this last known site.  Despite works by an NRW-led team, which cleared the key area in 2015, no regeneration of Scopelophila was apparent the following season.  This led to Andrew Lucas arranging the paperwork and permissions for a translocation exercise in 2018, in which a small quantity of material from the donor site at Bynea saltmarsh was used to reestablish the species at the Six Pit, Swansea Vale and White Rock SSSI.  The exercise was undertaken on 17th October 2018 by another NRW-led team and myself using the following method "Samples ranging approximately between 10-20 cm2 were generally planted against rocks, which both serve as useful reference points for relocation and also provide an element of protection from being dislodged. ... [Also] a crumbled sample of donor substrate with rhizoidal tubers was loosely scattered on land adjacent to each location after scarifying the ground..." 

crumbled donor material ready for sowing on scarified ground 

Kerry Rogers & Iona Graham at one of the treated
locations where inoculation has been very successful

As I was passing the site today, I had a quick 10 minute shifty around the site to look for evidence of how the Scopelophila was doing.   I was able to relocate some of the spots where I remembered us doing the work, and whilst some of the planted clumps were not evident during my quick scan (presumed dislodged), others had taken well and had put on some growth.  Much more encouraging was the growth of the crumbled material, which was growing on the scarified substrate, this being a simple method for greatly extending the area of the population with limited intervention.

Location 7, 17-Oct-18 

Location 7, 22-Dec-19.  Note brown hue to soil is all Scopelophila establishing

Location 7, 22-Dec-19.  Detail of Scopelophila establishing

Even the 'last minute' cycle-path edge plots, 17-Oct-19 held Scopelophila

I must finally mention that the work undertaken by NRW last winter to reduce the amount of encroaching scrub has been very beneficial.