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VISION FOR WETLANDSTOWARDS BIODIVERSITY-RICH FLOODPLAINSTHE WAVENEY AND LITTLE OUSEThe long established wetland habitats of Britainand Western Europe were home to a greatrichness of native species of plants andanimals.These continued to exist side by side withthe needs of local people, who used these areas aspart of their local economy over long periods of timeas grazing land, or to produce thatching materialsand other useful products. However, wetland areas inmuch of Britain and Western Europe have seen greatchanges in the past century. Many rivers and streamshave been straightened, deepened and otherwiserealigned. Water quality has declined. Extraction ofwater from boreholes and improved land drainageand flood protection have led to the drying out ofparts of the floodplains. Much of the land beside therivers, in their flood plains, has been drained andploughed instead of the fens, reedbeds and marshgrassland that had existed for centuries previously.Whilst these changes were brought about to satisfythe perceived need to change land uses, reduceflooding and otherwise ‘improve’ agriculturalproduction, the concomitant decline of the wildlifevalue and hydrological functioning of these formerwetland habitats, and of the species they harboured,has been severe.Assorted ducksThere is now a great wish on the part of public andvoluntary organisations with responsibilities forwildlife, landscape and the environment to seek towork in partnership with local people and the ownersof wetlands, and former wetlands, to regain some ofthe benefits for biodiversity that these areas used tooffer in abundance. Biodiversity is considered as thevariety of life in all its forms. As one contribution tothis effort, partners in the Netherlands, Germany,Denmark and the UK (Suffolk and Norfolk CountyCouncils) have formed a partnership to promoteinitiatives in their areas which will provide benefits forwetland habitats through a project called theTransnational Ecological Network (TEN). Theseinitiatives are to be seen as demonstrations for othersimilar initiatives elsewhere in the partner countriesand beyond.1
The Waveney and Little Ouse rivers form the countyboundary between the two UK partners in thisproject, and accordingly, these two floodplains havebeen selected as the UK’s pilot project. A composite‘vision’ for the possible biodiversity future of thesetwo rivers’ floodplains has been prepared under theauspices of the organisations listed below. The majorprinciples of this are that:Great crested grebeVISIONThe following should be improved to their maximum possible potential in orderto restore or enhance habitat and landscape throughout the valley systems forthe benefit of wetland wildlife and people:● Water quantity● Water quality● Sense of place● Community involvement with environmental initiatives● Public access and amenity which does not degrade the environmentalresource, including unnecessary disturbance to species.The strategic objectives of the vision are to:● Develop sustainable flood defences which provide appropriate standards to peopleand built property and contribute to the benefit of biodiversity● Raise water levels wherever appropriate, particularly in the adjacent marsh and fenareas● Return rivers to more natural channel systems● Raise the river beds, particularly where they have been over deepened in the past● Create buffer zones to core wetlands and corridors to link them● Actively promote land use change to wetter habitats and characteristic landscape● Achieve integrated catchment management● Prevent urban development in the flood plain● Create large scale, near naturally functioning wetlands● Create a mosaic of wetland habitats that complements the existing resource, wherepossible driven by the demands of important species and the nature of existingsoils. Typically, peatland will support fen/alder carr mosaic, while clay land willsupport grazing marsh or reed● Remove or modify bridges, weirs, sluices and other riverside structures wherepossible● Involve community groups and all stakeholders.This is shown in some more detail on the maps attached.2
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