Here you will find details about our vision for the Fens of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. How we are planning to realise it and who is involved. We hope that this will be just the beginning!
Draining the Fens has been carried out for almost a millennium and as a result less than 1% of the original wetland habitats remain. The remaining high quality peat soils now support a nationally important agricultural industry that grows a third of England’s vegetables, bulbs and flowers. The two land uses are not as mutually exclusive as it would first appear.
Our aim is to establish a network of waterways and wetlands across the length and breadth of Fens. This network will use existing waterways and wetlands. This will provide a lifeline for much of the rare and beautiful wildlife of the Fens but will also support a productive and sustainable agricultural landscape into the future.
The network will deliver key environmental services that we will increasingly rely on in a changing climate. For example water storage and availability, access to landscape for people to explore the nature and history of the Fens, bringing inward investment for local communities and businesses.