Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve eco-hydrology and peat assessment report (NECR602)

Pulborough Brooks Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in West Sussex, comprises of a series of wet meadows on the floodplain of the River Arun. Pulborough Brooks SSSI is subject to winter and occasional summer flooding but has been dissected by a series of drainage ditches, which help to support a rich aquatic flora and invertebrate fauna. Pulborough Brooks SSSI is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and is noted for outstanding importance for breeding and over-wintering bird communities. The site also supports populations of nationally rare aquatic snails and forms part of the overarching Arun Valley habitats sites; The Arun Valley Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Ramsar (designated wetland). Whilst not directly mentioned within the citation or notable features for the site, Pulborough Brooks SSSI contains an area of priority peat habitat as shown along the eastern margins of the site in BGS mapping and in eastern and southern sections on RSPB hazard mapping. To further enhance our understanding of the current condition and extent of peat and the hydrological conditions at Pulborough Brooks SSSI, Natural England commissioned Yellow Sub Geo to undertake a programme of desk-based study and field work including groundwater monitoring. This report provides a high-level assessment of peat characteristics, hydrological conditions, implications to ecosystem services and potential interventions or next steps to improve understanding and onsite conditions.