A rich stretch of fenland has been selected as one of just four sites across Europe to trial a pioneering “wet farming” technique aimed at preserving valuable wildlife habitats.

The Great Fen at Speechly’s Farm, located between Peterborough and Huntingdon, is taking part in a pilot scheme known as the PaluWise project, which focuses on paludiculture – farming that avoids draining the land.

At the Great Fen, this method will be used to cultivate crops such as bulrush and wet grassland species.

Lorna Parker, project manager at the Great Fen, said: “We’re excited to be part of the search for new ways to grow crops in low-lying areas while protecting wildlife and storing carbon in the soil.”

Paludiculture helps retain carbon in peat soils and supports wetland habitats that are vital for species such as wading birds, water voles and dragonflies. It also plays a role in natural water management – storing excess water during floods and releasing it in dry spells.

The PaluWise trial will run for over four years and brings together 18 partners from eight European countries. Alongside the Great Fen, sites in Finland, Poland and the Netherlands will also take part.

While bulrush is the focus at the Cambridgeshire site, other trial locations will experiment with crops like downy birch and sedges.

The aim of the PaluWise project is to establish paludiculture as a mainstream and sustainable farming approach across Europe.

Project leaders say the method can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%.

Given East Anglia’s low rainfall, successful techniques developed at the Great Fen could potentially be applied across much of the UK’s lowland peatlands.

Ms Parker said: “A key ambition of the Great Fen vision is to change the way society thinks about peat landscapes, and learn new ways to protect it.

“So it’s fantastic to be a part of a consortium looking to promote wet farming across national borders.”

She said nature, farming and communities could all benefit from restoring peatlands.

“We hope to make the Fens proud as a showcase for wet farming across Europe,” she said.

 

 

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At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about restoring habitats in the UK to halt the decline in our wildlife.