Possil Marsh
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Possil Marsh is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, of both flora and fauna, within the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The reserve was once part of an extensive system of lochs and marshes which extended throughout much of lowland West Central Scotland. However, centuries of drainage and reclamation have resulted in the elimination of much of this system. Due to its geographic position, the marsh is particularly vulnerable from industrial and residential development. The reserve contains a monument for the High Possil meteorite, which fell there in 1804.
The reserve is 31.4 hectares (78 acres) in size, and lies in the catchment of the River Kelvin at 50m above sea level, adjacent to High Possil and Lambhill on the north side of Glasgow. Occupying a natural basin of fluvio-glacial origin between the River Clyde and the Kelvin, the site is roughly triangular in shape. Its northern border is bounded by Lochfauld Farm, whilst the south and eastern borders are protected from direct contact with industrial and residential areas by the Forth and Clyde Canal, as is the western border by the A879 and Lambhill Cemetery.
Status
Possil Marsh has been under the custodianship of the Scottish Wildlife Trust since 1982, when it was acquired as a gift. Prior to this it had been managed by the Scottish Society for the Protection of Wild Birds, on behalf of the Scottish Wild Birds Sanctuaries Trust, since 1950. This management, and subsequent protection, has resulted in little alteration within the site in the past 50 years. Due to its importance, the marsh was first notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1954. Subsequently, it was then designated a bird sanctuary under Wild Bird Statutory Instrument 1956 No 333 (S10). Following the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the bird sanctuary was redesignated under Wild Birds (Possil Marsh Sanctuary Glasgow) Amendment Order 1983. At present the reserve has multiple occupation – 4 owners, 2 occupiers, 1 owner/occupier. It also has British Trust for Ornithology status and district importance for wintering wildfowl, and its diversity of wintering birds, supporting up to 150 bird species, with 22 species recorded breeding. In addition to this it also contains a diverse number of invertebrate fauna, including 2 nationally scarce species and a number of locally scarce species, as well as many important plant species.
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