Insh Marshes

Insh Marshes are an area of floodplain of the River Spey between Kingussie and Kincraig in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. The marshes are said to be one of the most important wetlands in Europe. They lie at an altitude of approximately above sea level, and form one of the largest areas of floodplain mire and fen vegetation in Scotland.

The marshes cover around , and hold a number of conservation designations. of the area is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and forms a national nature reserve.

Flora and fauna

The marshes are dominated by sedge plants, with the boreal species string sedge and water sedge being present. The site is one of only two in Britain for string sedge (the other being Loch Naver at Altnaharra). It also supports many other flowering plants including least water-lily, awlwort, cowbane and shady horsetail.

Many rare wetland invertebrates can be found at Insh Marshes, including various species of flies, beetles and moths. It is the only site in Britain at which the spider Wabasso replicatus has been identified. Other notable invertebrate species present include the aquatic beetle Donacia aquatica, the fly Tipula marginella, the horse-fly Hybomitra lurida and the snipe-fly Thereva inornata. The birch woodlands above the marshes are home to several moth species, including Rannoch sprawler and cousin german.

Arctic charr spawn along the River Spey and its side-streams, and the area provides an ideal habitat for otter. The area of the SSSI is also designated as both a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Special Area of Conservation under the Natura 2000 programme, as well as being a listed site under the Ramsar Convention.

The Insh Marshes national nature reserve is classified as a Category IV protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Flora and fauna

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