Blogger: Rachael Murray, Media Assistant
Here at the RSPB we work on wildlife conservation on all scales, from people's back gardens all the way up to the dizzying heights of our large landscape work. Following the launch of 'Stepping Up for Nature', our most ambitious campaign to date, here in the east we would like to announce a groundbreaking landscape scale conservation project in the Fens.
The new RSPB Fens 'Futurescape' project aims to save great places for nature and put back vital habitats that have been lost, by working with a range of partners including conservation and non-conservation organisations and landowners and farmers.
The vast open landscape of the Fens covers over 3,000 square km spanning across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. This special area offers a unique place to live and visit and an environment that is vitally important for both wetlands and farmland wildlife. The iconic Fens landscape has changed dramatically over the past centuries. Drainage started in the 1600s has caused the loss of 97% of the original fenland habitat.
Despite this, pockets of the area are still some of the richest places for wildlife in the country. The area is home to the black-tailed godwit, one of the UK's rarest breeding birds, and other special wildlife including otters, water voles, a variety of scarce aquatic plants and insects including rare fen violets and broad-bodied chaser dragonflies.
In addition to its wildlife, The Fens contains some of the UK's most productive farmland including over half of the UKs Grade 1 agricultural land, supporting over 27.000 people in employment, and enough wetlands to help protect nearly 1,000 properties and over 29,000 hectares of farmland from flooding. But without significant investment, these small pockets of land will diminish in size and quality, putting this crucial landscape under threat.
The key objectives of the RSPB's 'Futurescape' project are to create new and inter-connected areas of essential wetland and reedbed habitat, and to help farmers to integrate the needs of farm wildlife with those of their business. As part of the Fens Futurescape project, The RSPB will help farmers to access financial support from government agri-environment schemes to implement nature-friendly farm management. The RSPB Fenland Farmland Bird Recovery Project (another acronym to remember), set up jointly with Natural England, is currently working with more than 80 farmers who are stepping up for nature across the Fens. The RSPB is keen to work with many new farmers to do more for their farm wildlife.
There is a wide variety of ways to get involved in the Fens Futurescape project whether you are a farmer, landowner, conservation organisation or an enthusiastic volunteer. Potential partners who have a commitment to making the Fens a better place for people and wildlife can contact our very own Simon Tonkin on 01603 660066 or email simon.tonkin@rspb.org.uk for more information.
Photos: We can help array of vulnerable species of farmland bird including corn buntings(top), tree sparrows (middle) and yellow wagtails (bottom).
Credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)