Wildlife to benefit from nature reserve water release
Environmentalists are hailing the re-wetting of fenland are an important opportunity to restore precious peatland – and attract wildfowl to the area.
The National Trust recently opened six taps across Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire which will also help to reduce Carbon Dioxide levels.
Taps were opened at the National Nature Reserve to allow water to flow from the lodes on higher ground to the lower laying fens.
The result is the creation of standing pools of water which creates a winter wetland for wildlife, as well as a capturing point for carbon.
The charity says it’s a significant moment as the results of the scheme will include the attraction of wildfowl into the area, including wigeon, teal, shoveler, gadwall, geese, egrets and sometimes whooper swans.
‘We have six taps which we turn on using a metre-long metal key, allowing water to flow through a pipe onto the fens,’ says Ajay Tegala, Ranger at the National Trust’s Wicken Fen.
One of six taps on the Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire being turned to create a winter wetland for wildfowl. Photograph provided by National Trust Images / Mike Selby.
‘Because the lodes are higher than the surrounding ground, gravity enables the water to flow without having to resort to pumping.’
‘There is immediate visual impact as water rushes through and swells up, forming a sort of miniature fountain. Then, water can be seen flowing.’
A ranger at work at Wicken Fen in Cambrideshire. Photograph provided by National Trust Images / Mike Selby.
Attracting a ‘huge variety of wildfowl’
‘A couple of days later, the spectacle continues when the standing water starts to attract a huge variety of wildfowl who find food and safety in these wetland areas.’
‘Roosting on water overnight helps them feel protected from potential predators, for example foxes, that are potentially put off by having to wade through water.’
‘A flowing river could wash birds away while they rest overnight, but the shallow depth of water on the Fen means that its relatively still, creating an ideal habitat.’
Turning on the taps for winter also helps to restore rare fenland habitat that was lost due to agriculture-related drainage centuries ago.
A ranger working at Wicken Fen in Cambrideshire. Photograph supplied by National Trust Images, Mike Selby.
Experts say reinstating higher water tables help to support wetland birds and wildlife. The result is a boost in biodiversity at the internationally important nature reserve.
To date, more than 9,300 species, including a spectacular array of plants, birds and dragonflies have been recorded at Wicken Fen, making it one of the most species-rich places in the UK.
The process of turning on the taps also helps mitigate the effects of climate change by improving the area’s ability to store carbon.
Re-wetting or flooding peat soil enables it to sequester, or lock in, carbon, rather than it being released into the atmosphere.
Wicken Fen: a ‘role to play for climate action’
‘The abstraction we create by turning the taps is a great way to create fantastic winter wetland habitats, protect our peat soils and help them lock up carbon,’ says Alan Kell, Countryside Manager for the National Trust at Wicken Fen.
‘Unfortunately, it’s a technique we can only employ during the winter months as there is insufficient water in the summer months.’
‘We know that Wicken Fen has a big role to play for climate action, but without sufficient water, it can quickly go from a fantastic carbon sink to a terrible carbon source.’
‘With droughts anticipated to become more frequent combined with the pressures of continued development and its associated water use, the availability of water is and will continue to be one of the biggest challenges to this site.’
Wicken Fen was the first nature reserve acquired by the National Trust in 1899 and has grown from two acres to a reserve that now covers over 2,000 acres to benefit both wildlife and people.
The raised boardwalk and lush grass droves allow easy access to a lost landscape of flowering meadows, sedge and reedbeds, where visitors can encounter wildlife such as hares, roe deer, water voles and bitterns.
Wicken is also one of the last remnants of undrained fen in East Anglia and has important environmental designations.
In addition to being National Nature Reserve, it’s also a Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
Following this year’s re-wetting, visitors will be able to enjoy a real wildlife spectacle through the colder months and admire the sight and sound of hundreds of birds that would otherwise not be at Wicken Fen, including hen harriers, cranes, bitterns.
