Partnership working between Havant Borough Council, Natural England, the Rare British Plants Nursery and Hayling Golf Club has led to the reintroduction of an endangered plant species which once thrived in this landscape.
Cottonweed – a distinctive member of the Daisy family found in coastal habitats – was once widespread in Britain and Ireland but is now in severe decline, with just one known site in Wexford in the Republic of Ireland.
The first ever record of Cottonweed in the south of England dates back to 1621, when the Botanist John Goodyer identified it on Hayling Island – more specifically ‘On the seashoare on the south parte of the Iland of Haylinge’.
The plant has been reintroduced on Sinah Common as part of the Threatened Species Recovery Actions programme led by Natural England, and with support from Hayling Golf Club. The Rare British Plants Nursery – a specialist nursery who cultivate some of the rarest, most threatened native British plants for habitat restoration schemes – grew hundreds of young Cottonweed specimens from the Wexford plants. These sturdy plants have now been planted by them along Sinah Common and are expected to thrive, setting seed and becoming a self-sustaining feature of Hayling Island. Natural England will undertake annual monitoring to see how the plants progress.
Councillor Grainne Rason – Cabinet Lead for Climate Emergency, Environment & Water Quality – said “Over 400 years ago, Hayling Island was home to Cottonweed and I now take great pride in the fact that it will be a focal point for its reintroduction into our impressive natural shoreline. Through partnership, hard work and dedication to a noble cause, it is plain to see we can have a positive impact on our environment when we put our minds to it.”
For more information on the Threatened Species Recovery Actions programme, visit https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6106216194113536.
For more information on the work of the Rare British Plants Nursery, visit https://www.rarebritishplants.com.
To view Havant Borough Council’s Biodiversity Strategy, visit https://www.havant.gov.uk/media/10217/download?inline.