The Lincolnshire Bird Club

From the Peterborough Today web site: http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/View ... ID=1324684

NATURE: Project to restore Fenland wetlands

AN ambitious project has been launched to save wildlife and habitats in parts of the Fens.

Dynamic organisers of the Baston and Thurlby Fenland Re-creation Project have set their sights on restoring up to 800 hectares of Fenland in order to safeguard endangered wildlife.

Backed by national organisations such as English Nature, the Environment Agency and Sustrans cycling charity, those at the helm of the project also want to turn the Fens into a place people can enjoy well into the future.

The project could take between 50 and 100 years to complete and could even rekindle idyllic scenes of ice skating across the Fens, something not seen for many years.

And they are looking to save creatures such as rare water beetles as well as Fenland plants, and hope to provide wetland and woodland habitats for them to flourish in.

Project officer Mark Tarttelin said the scheme, which will cost millions of pounds, is vitally important to the growth of the area, but its success depended on the support of the community.

He said: "Our studies have shown that many nature reserves are just too small to provide a sufficiently robust refuge for wildlife.

"Such large-scale restoration projects can provide real benefits to the local economy, supporting local business through regular visitors, tourism, farm diversification and local job creation.

"But it will, of course, only be possible with the support of local farmers, landowners and tenants. There is no compulsion in this project."

He said the uncertain timescale for the project, planned for areas of Baston and Thurlby, near Bourne, made it difficult to put a price on it.

However, it is hoped it will gradually see wetlands and washes packed with countless wildfowl and providing critical flood defence, by providing an area to store water in times of heavy rainfall.

Currently, organisers are just trying to gain the interest of landowners so they can decide which pieces of land to target in the future.

However, already organisers have found their plans had been met with enthusiasm and optimism from people in the area.

Mr Tarttelin said: "The initial responses have been very encouraging.

"Three landowners already have more than a hundred hectares in wet grassland recreation projects within the area and this could be doubled over the next year."

Questionnaires have been sent to landowners to find out what they would like to see as part of the Baston and Thurlby Fenland Re-creation Project.

• For more information, visit the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust website on www.lincstrust.org.uk/conservation
24 January 2006