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| Great Fen | |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Fen |
| Location | Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England |
| Nearest city | Peterborough |
| Area | ~3,700 hectares |
| Established | 1990s–present |
| Governing body | Natural England; Wildlife Trusts partnership |
Great Fen The Great Fen is a large-scale wetland restoration landscape in eastern England, situated between Peterborough and Lincoln, near March, Cambridgeshire and Holme Fen. It forms a major element of regional conservation strategy linking remnants such as Whittlesey Mere and Holme Post, integrating work by agencies including Natural England, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and local authorities to recreate peatland, wet grassland, reedbeds and open water.
The project aims to reconnect fragmented peatland and fen habitats across landscapes historically shaped by medieval drainage schemes, Victorian reclamation and contemporary land use, tying to larger networks like the Fens and the Humber Estuary. Stakeholders include national bodies such as Environment Agency and Historic England, non-governmental organizations like the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and the RSPB, and local groups including the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Funding has come from sources like the Heritage Lottery Fund, European Union rural programs, and private benefactors.
Historically the area was part of the extensive Fenland marshes that featured in episodes like the drainage works overseen by the Earl of Bedford and engineers such as Cornelius Vermuyden. Medieval peat-cutting, salt working and common rights shaped early patterns; later agricultural improvement during the Agricultural Revolution and 17th–19th century reclamation led to large-scale conversion to arable and pasture. The region’s pattern of drainage channels, ditches and embanked rivers reflects interventions by agencies including the Huntingdonshire Drainage Commissioners and the Middle Level Commissioners. Twentieth-century pressures from RAF Wittering expansions and post-war mechanisation intensified changes, prompting late-20th century conservation responses tied to policy instruments like the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and agri-environment schemes under the Common Agricultural Policy.
The restored mosaic supports assemblages characteristic of lowland peat and fen systems, providing habitat for bird species such as Eurasian bittern, common crane, marsh harrier, lapwing and snipe. Mammals recorded include water vole, otter, and populations of hazel dormouse in adjacent scrub. Plant communities include Phragmites australis reedbeds, Sphagnum moss carpets and carr woodland with Salix and Alnus. Invertebrate fauna includes specialist species like the fen raft spider, rare dragonflies such as hairy dragonfly and scarce beetles documented by county records. The project contributes to wider biodiversity targets under frameworks including the Convention on Biological Diversity and national Biodiversity Action Plans coordinated by bodies such as Natural England.
Restoration combines re-wetting, peatland recovery and management of water levels via measures implemented with input from the Environment Agency, canal engineers and hydrologists linked to universities such as University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia. Techniques include ditch blocking, bund construction, creation of scrapes and reedbed planting to re-establish a natural hydroseral gradient from open water to fen carr. Water management connects to nearby river systems including the River Nene, River Welland and drainage infrastructure like the Old Bedford River. Restoration addresses carbon sequestration goals related to research agendas at institutions such as the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and international reporting under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
A partnership model unites national NGOs, statutory agencies and local authorities: Natural England provides statutory oversight; the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire deliver on-the-ground management; volunteers coordinate via groups linked to The Conservation Volunteers and local parish councils. Funding and governance have involved partnerships with the Heritage Lottery Fund, county councils like Cambridgeshire County Council and research links to bodies such as the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Management practices employ grazing regimes with livestock from local farms, brash-cutting, reed management and predator control conducted in accordance with species licensing through agencies like Natural England.
Public engagement infrastructure includes waymarked footpaths, bird hides, interpretation panels and access points coordinated with local authorities and landowners including the National Trust in neighboring reserves. The area is used for birdwatching by members of groups such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology, educational visits with schools linked to county education boards, and recreational walking connecting to trails like the Fen Rivers Way and cycle routes promoted by Sustrans. Visitor management balances recreation with disturbance minimization following guidance from the Countryside Commission and local planning authorities.
Long-term monitoring involves flora and fauna surveys by university researchers from University of Cambridge, University of East Anglia and Anglia Ruskin University, citizen science contributions via organizations such as the British Trust for Ornithology and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and hydrological monitoring in partnership with the Environment Agency and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Research topics include peat accumulation rates, greenhouse gas flux measured under protocols used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, bird population dynamics linked to ringing studies coordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology, and restoration ecology published in journals associated with societies like the Ecological Society of America and the British Ecological Society.
Category:Wetlands of England Category:Protected areas of Cambridgeshire Category:Protected areas of Lincolnshire