Natural England

‘Wetland Vision’ sets scene for wetland creation and restoration across London

Existing wetlands need to be protected and restored and new wetlands created across London in the next 50 years if the country is to meet the challenges of the future.

The call comes from the Wetland Vision Partnership, an alliance of conservationists and government agencies, including the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Natural England, the Environment Agency and English Heritage.

The Partnership has produced a series of maps showing the loss and fragmentation of the country’s wetlands and where opportunities exist to create new ones.

Increasing pressure on land use and a changing climate mean our wetlands need to be protected and extended to safeguard our heritage and wildlife, reduce flood risk to people and property and combat climate change by storing carbon.

England has lost 90 per cent of its wetlands in the last 1,000 years, much of them since the industrial revolution. Land drainage, river engineering and abstraction of water for homes and industry mean those that remain are often small and isolated.

The maps and the information behind them will help target the restoration and creation of thousands of acres of reedbed, grazing marsh, ponds and wet grassland.

Carrie Hume, the Wetland Vision Project Manager, said: “We have created an extremely powerful tool to help restore England’s wetlands, which are among our most useful as well as our most beautiful landscapes.

“Great efforts are already being made by groups involved in wetland conservation, but our Vision signals a step change in ambition for the partners in the project.

“By showing what is possible and where, we can unlock the potential benefits for people and wildlife and inspire action to preserve and create wetlands across the landscape, from local ponds to wide expanses of fen.”

The hope is that as well as informing the partners’ work, the maps will be used by everyone from community groups to local authorities and from farmers to water companies.

Carrie Hume said: “If we invest in wetlands, we will be richly rewarded.

“In the right places, wetlands offer natural flood water storage and improved water quality, lock away huge amounts of carbon, provide havens for wildlife and fantastic places for people to visit and enjoy.

“What is more, wetlands contain some of England’s most significant heritage, including the remains of plants and animals, which help us understand past environments and unique artefacts made from materials like wood or textiles, which are preserved in these wetland sites.”

For further information please use regional contacts listed against the case studies below: [insert regional case studies; and a lead organisation and contact number]

Wildspace for a World City: Rainham Marshes

This initiative aims to create a major wetland visitor attraction and destination based around the nature conservation interest of an extensive area of grazing marsh adjacent to the river Thames.

The proposed Wildspace destination comprises:
• RSPB Rainham Marshes - with its award winning visitor centre that has stunning views over the marshes and the river Thames and provides the first gateway onto the marshes for over 100 years.
• Inner Thames Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - largest remaining expanse of wetland bordering the upper reaches of the Thames Estuary. Historically the area was owned by the Ministry of Defence and used as a shooting range; this has helped preserve much of the original medieval landform and marshland wildlife from development. The marshes are now recognised as a unique habitat for wildlife including important breeding waders, wintering wildfowl, water voles and a wide range of wetland plants and invertebrates.
• The Veolia landfill site – London largest landfill operation, due for completion in 2018, will be restored to provide a major area of open space overlooking the Thames and the marshes
• The Thames foreshore – 2 miles of accessible Thames foreshore with extensive mudflats and views across to Dartford and Crayford Marshes, upriver to Docklands and downriver to the QEII bridge.

Partners: Natural England, RSPB, Havering Council, Thurrock Council, Veolia and the Development Corporations of London Thames Gateway and Thurrock.

For more information please contact Adam Elwell, Natural England Communications Officer on 0207 932 2212 or email adam.elwell@naturalengland.org.uk. More information on RSPB Rainham Marshes can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/rainhammmarshes

Quaggy River Flood Alleviation Scheme

The Quaggy River Flood Alleviation Scheme has been planned and implemented in the densely developed areas of Greenwich and Lewisham in South East London. A number of different river restoration and enhancement techniques were used in a variety of sites resulting in benefits in terms of flood risk to over 600 homes and businesses in these Boroughs. A forthcoming London river restoration action plan aims to replicate this work across the capital.

Partners: Environment Agency, Halcrow, McAlpine, English Landscapes, London Borough of Greenwich, Quaggy Waterways Action Group, Ferrier Residents Action Group and MENCaP

Contact: For more information please contact the Environment Agency on 0118 953 5555, Outside office hours 0118 953 5581 or visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Crane Valley Project

The Crane Valley Project was set up through the Crane Valley Partnership to restore habitats and improve accessibility along the River Crane – one of the most natural rivers in London which rises in Harrow at the Yeading Brook and continues through Hillingdon, Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond, where it reaches the Thames. Some stretches of the River Crane teem with wildlife and are cared for and appreciated by local people and community groups. But much of the river can’t be seen, and many of its bordering green places are strewn with rubbish, marred by graffiti and are generally unwelcoming.

In 2007 the Crane Valley Project received a project planning grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to identify target audiences, key areas of restoration along the river and improving the links between them. The Crane Valley Project now hopes to raise funds to enable a three year programme of conservation and community activity concentrating on the target community groups and areas along the river. Our vision is for a well managed and high quality river corridor which is accessible to all, in which wildlife can thrive and local people can take pride and ownership.

Partners: London Wildlife Trust, Green Corridor, London Boroughs, public, voluntary and private stakeholders.

Contacts: Helen Babbs, Communications Officer hbabbs@wildlondon.org.uk / 020 7803 4298 / 07834 867 420 or visit http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/Projects/TheCraneValleyProject/tabid/257/Default.aspx

Notes to Editors:

Supporting quotes from partners:

Alison Barnes, Natural England’s London Director, said ‘We have a great variety of wetlands in London, from the Inner Thames Marshes in the east to the array of river corridors across the capital. These wetlands are natural features that uniquely define London. When well managed they provide havens for wildlife, vital open spaces for people to experience nature, and vital functions such as flood alleviation. We are working hard with our partners to make sure these vital habitats are conserved and enhanced for the future.’

Fiona Mahon, The Wildlife Trusts’ planning and water policy manager, and member of the Steering Group said: “The Wetland Vision project has provided us with a range of useful tools that will help in the delivery of inspirational and ambitious landscape-scale wetland schemes over the next few decades, for the benefit of wildlife and people”.

Rob Cunningham, the RSPB’s Head of Water Policy, said: “Iconic wetland wildlife like bitterns, kingfishers and marsh harriers are a cherished part of our natural world - but they are fragile. We are not looking to turn back the clock, but to establish a place for wetlands in a modern countryside at a time when demands on our land are increasing. In the future, we will have to make our countryside deliver as much for people and wildlife as it can. This Vision shows where wetlands could fit and what services they could deliver.”

Ann Skinner, the Environment Agency’s National Conservation Policy advisor, said: “In today's world we have forgotten just how important wetlands are to us as we are no longer directly dependent on them. Not only are they naturally productive, they also help to store and cleanse floodwaters, trap sediments and process nutrients, recharge our aquifers and lock up carbon. By setting out a shared vision for the future with our partners on this ambitious project, the Environment Agency believes we can deliver a sustainable future for wetlands that people can enjoy and wildlife can thrive in, and one that will help us to face the challenges that lie ahead from climate change.”

Jim Williams, English Heritage regional archaeological science advisor, and Steering Group member said: “Wetlands are unique places. The range of materials that are preserved in their waterlogged soils provides us with a much more complete picture of life in the past. It is important that we maintain the wet conditions on these sites. Just like wetland wildlife, wetland heritage is at risk, and sites are being lost or damaged daily. By working with our partners on the Wetland Vision, English Heritage believes that we have an opportunity to secure a viable future for the historic environment of England’s wetlands”.

Alastair Burn, Natural England’s freshwater specialist, said: “Wetlands are some of the most important landscapes on earth and they are under threat. These landscapes provide vital wildlife habitats and public services. By increasing the natural capacity of the countryside to absorb and hold excess water, the risk of flooding could be dramatically decreased. The restoration and enhancement of wetland peat bogs could save around 400,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
Natural England's recent State of the Natural Environment Report illustrates the dramatic decline in wetland birds such as lapwing, curlew and redshank. The Wetland Vision project unites the UK's leading environmental organisations in a bid to restore and re-create a network of wetlands for the benefit of people and wildlife alike.”