**4. Ecological analysis**

Rescobie and Balgavies Lochs, covering 1.78 km2 , support over 60 species of breeding birds and with their surrounds form a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). There are many aquatic species such as *Menyanthes trifoliata* (Bogbean) and *Utricularia australis* agg. (Bladderwort) that occur in shallow water and any significant change in water levels could affect them. In the area south of the Lunan Water (Chapel Mires – see **Figures 5** and **6**) there is a complex mosaic of open water, willow scrub and sedge-dominated fen vegetation including *Carex rostrata-Calliergon* mire, *Filipendula ulmaria –Angelica sylvetris* mire, *Phalaris* swamp, *Carex rostrata* swamp and *Carex rostrata–Equisetum fluviatile* sub-community occupying the lower lying areas. This has led to this area also being included in the Rescobie and Balgavies Lochs SSSI. The Nationally Scarce *Cicuta virosa* (Cowbane) and *Lysimachia thyrsiflora* (Tufted Loosestrife), could be threatened by changes in water levels or the input of sediment/nutrients as shown by [12].

Water sampling around Chapel Mires compared with the outlet of the Lunan Water at Bagavies Loch, and End Member Mixing Analysis (EMMA) confirmed the vegetation analysis and helped confirm the need to manage pollutant rich water inflow, especially if storm waters threaten the southern and eastern parts of the wetland, which are more pristine (see **Figure 7**).

#### **Figure 5.**

*Chapel mires viewed from the SW. The line of the Lunan water is the trees between the arable (yellow) and grassland (green) field in the middle distance.*

*The Challenges of Managing Water for Wetland Ecology, Flood Mitigation and Agriculture… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98727*

#### **Figure 6.**

*Aerial view of chapel mires (red line shows SSSI boundary) and gradient of vegetation from (top right) Phalaris arundincea (reed canary-grass) and Sparganium erectum (branched bur-reed) rich (sediment tolerant) to (bottom right) Carex rostrata (bottle sedge) and Menyanthes trifoliata (Bogbean) rich (sediment intolerant) associations with distance from the Lunan water (located on northern boundary).*

#### **Figure 7.**

*Canonical variates biplot of water chemistry for the wetlands of chapel mires and the outflow of Balgavies loch, showing that the wetlands on the south eastern fringe of chapel mires are geochemically distinct.*
