News
Suffolk's finest valley fens rescued from the brink
7th September 2009
A two year project to restore 23 hectares of valley fen at Hopton and Thelnetham Fen nature reserves close to the Norfolk-Suffolk border, has been completed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust thanks to funding from SITA Trust. The area restored represents almost 10% of total valley fen in Suffolk.
The two reserves lie within 2.5km of each other in the Little Ouse river catchment. Both sites were in poor condition before the start of the project and without restoration their ecological and wildlife interest would have been lost.
“This project is the final phase of the restoration of the two sites which will complete the removal of invasive scrub, undertake restorative mowing, improve access and secure a more sustainable management regime for the two reserves. By pushing back the scrub to the margins of the sites, the project will extend the areas of botanically rich open fen for which both reserves are noted,” explains SWT property and projects manager Steve Aylward.
Suffolk BAP species (government selected priority wildlife) and Suffolk character species which stand to benefit from the restoration work include barn owl, reed bunting, Desmoulin’s whorl snail, water shrew and great crested newt. Notable wild flowers include marsh fragrant orchid, black bog rush, stonewort and grass-of-Parnassus.
“At Hopton Fen, the project will enable the long term management of the open fen through grazing by the Trust’s Konik ponies, which have proved so effective at nearby Redgrave and Lopham Fen. Grazing is the most sustainable and effective option for the maintenance of open fen, but stock fencing and management access are needed to enable this to happen. By improving the stock fencing and using a new gate and a new culvert which allows grazing access, the project will set the site on a sustainable footing which can then be managed by the Trust with existing resources.”
“At Thelnetham Fen, the open fen created through the scrub clearance will be kept open through a maintenance mowing programme, as our lease does not allow grazing. The wet peaty conditions around the fen can make machinery access difficult. The project therefore includes improvements to the access track to minimise disruption to the mowing programme.”
The project sites are part of a Living Landscape network of valley fens situated along the Little Ouse river. Along with other important fenland areas, including Market Weston and Redgrave and Lopham Fen, Hopton and Thelnetham Fens make up an important corridor for species to move through.
Additional funding for the project was provided by the Suffolk Environmental Trust.
For more information please contact SWT’s Steve Aylward on 01473 890089 or SITA Trust's Communications Manager, Jools Mackin on 01454 262940/ mobile 07870 253048 or email jools.mackin@sita.co.uk
PHOTO: Suffolk Wildlife Trusts Gee Harvey leads a team of volunteers who are working to restore two of East Anglia’s finest valley fens on the Suffolk-Norfolk border.
CREDIT: Steve Aylward
ENDS
Notes to editors
Hopton Fen and Thelnetham Fen are two of the finest fragments of rich valley fen in East Anglia, and both are designated as a UK Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Both sites are managed on long leases by Suffolk Wildlife Trust to secure their survival.
There are only 43 valley fens in the UK and a high proportion of these are in East Anglia. The area of fen in Suffolk is thought to be less than 250ha. In restoring the two sites, the project will restore a total area of SSSI fen of 23.2ha (Thelnetham Fen - 8.8 ha, Hopton Fen - 14.4 ha) which is nearly 10% of Suffolk’s total fenland resource.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Living Landscapes vision is to secure space for wildlife by restoring Suffolk’s countryside on a landscape scale. The fragmentation of habitat is one of the main threats to wildlife in Suffolk. Even the largest wildlife sites are remnants of the countryside we have lost, and often survive in isolation. Our vision is for a landscape richer in wildlife – a Living Landscape in which nature reserves, SSSIs and county wildlife sites are Suffolk’s core biodiversity areas from which species can expand their range and move out into the wider countryside through networks of linked up habitat.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust is the county's largest voluntary organisation working on nature conservation and environmental issues. We have over 25,000 members and are part of a network of 47 Wildlife Trusts operating across the United Kingdom.
We work to create an environment richer in wildlife for everyone and care for more than 50 nature reserves throughout the county – that’s around 2640 hectares of Suffolk's most precious wildlife habitat - all completely free to enjoy. We are committed to creating whole landscapes that are rich in wildlife rather than just isolated sites. With this in mind we advise landowners and local communities on how to manage their land for wildlife and offer a free advice service for individuals, the Suffolk Wildline. In addition to our advisory work we review all planning applications that affect sites of wildlife interest and comment on structure plans.
Environmental education is a major part of our work: each year thousands of children visit our education centres, hundreds of families enjoy our wildlife events and activity days and we are currently developing a full range of environmental education opportunities for adults.
Over 1000 people volunteer their time and skills to the Trust and support all areas of our work, their commitment is key to our success.
SITA Trust
SITA Trust was set up in 1997 and runs three funding programmes:
• Enhancing Communities – funding community improvement projects around qualifying waste management sites owned by SITA UK.
• Enriching Nature – funding biodiversity conservation projects within the vicinity of landfill sites in England.
• GreenPrints – funding environmental volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16-25
In 2007 SITA Trust donated over £7.5 million nationwide through the Landfill Communities Fund.
By end of 2008 SITA Trust had funded over 2000 projects with a combined value of more than £66 million.
The Landfill Communities Fund
1. Landfill tax was introduced in 1996 to encourage more sustainable ways of managing waste.
2. The landfill tax legislation also brought about the Landfill Communities Fund. This scheme allows landfill operators to voluntarily donate 6% of their landfill tax liability to environmental improvement projects.
3. The Landfill Communities Fund is independently regulated on behalf of HM Government’s Revenue & Customs by ENTRUST.
SITA Trust, The Barn, Brinkmarsh Lane, Falfield, S. Gloucestershire GL12 8PT
