RSPB Lakenheath
An investment that's saving carbon and increasing biodiversity net gain
A partnership that is reducing carbon and increasing biodiversity...
In February 2023, Morgan Sindall Group created a long term partnership with the RSPB at Lakenheath by purchasing 54 hectares of neighbouring farmland to add to this vital nature reserve.
The RSPB has acquired the site to restore its wetlands and incorporate them into the conservation charity's Lakenheath Fen reserve, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.
🦅 Extends habitat for threatened species of bird like Booming Bittern🌍 Saves 1,782 tons CO2 annually (the same as emissions from 660 UK homes!)🍃 Increases biodiversity net gain📸 Boosts tourism for the region by people visiting❤️ Enhances health and wellbeing through more hiking and walking routes
It is unlocking the expansion of Lakenheath Fen, which was made into a nature reserve by the RSPB in 1995 after 400 hectares of arable land was re-established as reed beds and wet grassland.
Now, the fen is home to a number of threatened bird species including the bittern and the crane - a bird that disappeared from the UK about 400 years ago but returned to the fen in 2007.
By raising water levels and wetting the peat-derived soils, we will be creating important wildlife habitats like wet grassland and fen. In addition, this will hugely reduce the loss of carbon from the soil, helping with the climate emergency the planet is facing.
Watch Senior Site Manager at RSPB Lakenheath, describe just what this additional land will mean for the reserve, for it's nature and for the climate emergency…
What the relationship with Morgan Sindall is enabling us to do is purchase expensive arable land that we have been after for 15 years – so it’s a huge addition to the reserve. It also helps us in-fill land between isolated fields – land we were not able to do anything with. Now we are able to re-wet that land and create wetland habitat so it will become even better. It also a huge reduction in the carbon emissions as a lot of the soil here is peat based and by rewetting the arable land, you lock in that carbon and protect it in perpetuity. So it’s a huge biodiversity benefit, but also a huge carbon benefit too.
Most wetlands are made up of rich peat which is what makes them good carbon sinks. The peat acts as a sponge both for carbon and for water.
When peat is allowed to dry out it releases the stored carbon back into the atmosphere so it's vitally important to re-wet peat rich areas. Our UK peatlands store an amazing 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon and they support an abundance of plants.
So, the purchase of 54 hectares of ploughed fields (the size of 81 football pitches) and restore them into peat rich, biodiverse wetlands, which is in danger of drying out.
The land is next to their existing Lakenheath Fen and allows them to extend the habitat they've already created, as well as re-wetting arable land they already owned but were unable to re-wet previously due to their isolated locations.
The purchase joins these pockets together to create one large habitat and the RSPB will now be measuring and monitoring peat depth and biodiversity, creating waterways, ditches, water controls and dams,
They'll also be re-seeing the land for grass and hay stewing to create meadows, reedbeds and marshes.
I was amazed, I couldn't believe the value of the numbers that they were talking about. It was a very pleasant surprise to know that a large construction company was willing to give us that kind of money to unlock this kind of work. It does feel like there's a sea change in terms of the way the more progressive businesses are looking at their business and the impact on the environment and looking to genuinely put something back.
