Restore Volunteer Marsh

Nestled on the North Norfolk coast lies RSPB Titchwell Marsh, one of the UK’s most diverse wetland habitats. With reed beds and saltmarsh, freshwater lagoons and sandy beach, Titchwell is a globally important habitat for birds and other wildlife. It's also a fantastic place to visit!  

But without urgent action, we could lose it. 

The UK lies on the East Atlantic Flyway, a bustling route for millions of birds as they migrate between the Arctic, Europe and Africa. RSPB Titchwell Marsh is a crucial feature on that route. Every year, thousands of birds use the reserve to rest and feed on its delicious muddy banquet as they pass through.  

In the spring and summer, Avocets, Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers nest behind the safety of Titchwell Marsh’s sea walls too. Meanwhile, families of other birds, like Bearded Tits and Marsh Harriers, remain year-round.  

However, the future of these birds is now uncertain. 

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Since its creation in the 1970s, RSPB Titchwell Marsh has been protected by a series of sea walls. However, natural pressures slowly erode these protective barriers over time. 

To combat this, with your support, we launched the Coastal Change Project in 2011. This strengthened the existing defences and restored the intertidal saltmarsh, known as ‘Volunteer Marsh’. To do this, we created a channel through the sea wall to allow tidal waters into the Marsh to deposit sediment. 

However, rising sea levels, caused by climate change, have increased the amount of water rushing through the channel. Now, rather than depositing sediment, the water’s eroding Volunteer Marsh and eating away at the sea defences. 

This ever-accelerating process puts all the reserve’s freshwater habitats, and the wildlife that relies on them, at risk. To preserve these invaluable habitats, we need to act immediately, and your donation would help us to do so. 

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From marshland to grassland. Why wetland is vital for birds and people. (Or other relevant video). 

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Today, we’re asking for your support so that we can restore Volunteer Marsh to a diverse and productive habitat. By doing so, we'll help to make all Titchwell’s habitats more resilient for the next 20-30 years.  

Together, we can ensure that the reserve continues to provide a vital lifeline for millions of birds, and a spectacular natural escape for its visitors. 

And this is how we’ll do it... 

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With your help, the restoration of Volunteer Marsh will better manage water levels and combat the erosion of the sea walls. This will transform the struggling saltmarsh into a new saline lagoon, bursting with life.  

By partly refilling the channel that runs through the sea wall, we’ll regain control of the flow of seawater. We’ll also build a low bank to allow the highest tides to flow over into the lagoon. This ‘regulated tidal exchange’ will create a balance of water either side of the sea walls, easing the pressure on the creaking defences. 

The controlled flow of seawater will also allow sediment to build up in the lagoon again. In time, this will create areas of invertebrate-rich mud, encourage plant growth and lay the foundations for the return of a thriving saltmarsh. 

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Titchwell’s Parrinder Hide was built to provide guests with sensational views of its lagoons, saltmarsh and wildlife. However, the area has not developed in the way that we had hoped, and this has led to a lack of wild activity and a lack of interest for visitors. 

The rejuvenation of Volunteer Marsh will encourage an explosion of bird activity for many years to come. This will help Parrinder Hide, and the reserve, to provide a much-improved visitor experience and become a thriving hub for nature lovers.  

Donate today to help restore Volunteer Marsh and support wildlife for decades to come. 

Reflecting on the Volunteer Marsh Restoration Project, Senior Sites Manager, Hayley Roan, said: