Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

Inviting volunteer involvement in fen management, from helping decide priorities
to scrub control or other physical work, offers unlimited further opportunities for
involving people with fens. Organisations such as the British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers (BTCV) can bring in volunteers, or some fens are suitable for hosting
teambuilding days for local companies, which can generate extra income at the
same time as getting physical work done.
Key tips on involving people with fens
Volunteers helping restore
fens along the Ouse as
part of the Little Ouse
Headwaters Project: hard
but rewarding work! (Photo:
Little Ouse Headwaters
Project)
– Be as inclusive as possible – involve people living adjacent or near to the fen, as well
as others who might be interested in using or visiting the fen, and organisations and
individuals who might be able to provide resources.
– Think long term to make sure people who might be interested in your fen in future are
involved, as well as those who have already expressed interest.
– Find out what people think about the fen, what they value about it, how they use it or
would like to use it, and what their concerns might be about proposed management.
– Make the most of every opportunity to engage with visitors and encourage involvement,
including during maintenance of paths and boardwalks.
– Bring together all interested parties to ensure that respective needs and concerns are
understood, and open up the widest range of resources. Most public funding sources
require evidence of how people will be involved as part of funding application. The
Little Ouse Headwaters Project is an excellent example of working with numerous
different stakeholders (see case study at the end of this section).
– Think carefully about the most effective and inclusive way of establishing constructive
dialogue with neighbours and stakeholders. Meetings structured and facilitated to
encourage and allow people to discuss their individual ideas and concerns in small
groups, and develop creative ideas using props such as maps or photos, often work
well whereas traditional ‘open’ public meetings sometimes result in establishment of
opposing factions.
243