Fen Violet (Viola persicifolia)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Viola stagnina |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Kit. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | CR in England and GB, with three extant sites |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Viola stagnina is present at three sites, and reliably found at just two, with very small numbers present at one of these. There has been significant work over the past 30 years investigating the causes of decline, and the possible mechanisms required for restoration of viable populations. Actions from these years of research has resulted in recovery at two of the three sites. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Otmoor and Woodwalton Fen are well-monitored by volunteer groups and NE staff respectively, and trial management has been underway at both these sites in recent years. Wicken Fen is neither monitored regularly, nor has suitable management targeted at recovery. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Establish a suitable grazing/cutting management regime at Wicken Fen, using knowledge gained by SRP work over the past three decades.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Wicken Fen
Comments: The grazing regime where Fen Violet was last seen is inappropriate for this and many other fen meadow species. A few horses and cattle graze a very large area. Based on knowledge about historic locations, the land manager could fence suitable areas ('glades'), and then cut and/or graze with the aim of restoring a fen meadow assemblage, and so reinstating past management practices that retained Fen Violet at this site.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Continue to monitor the results of the grazing regime at Woodwalton Fen, with particular regard to numbers of violets, composition of associated vegetation, and broad reversion in sward composition from a broad-leaved sedge and soft rush dominated grassland to a small-leaved sedge and herb-rich fen meadow brought about by harder grazing by cattle present throughout much of the year.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Woodwalton Fen
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Continue to monitor water-level experiments at Woodwalton Fen (compartments 55 & 58); interpret and disseminate results on a 4-year cycle.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.