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Feature
RSPB Lakenheath Fen Habitat Bank
RSPB Lakenheath Fen is a fantastic example of our ability to transform landscapes over a 30-year timescale.
On this page
Since acquiring RSPB Lakenheath Fen in 1995, the RSPB has transformed this area of former carrot farmland into a vibrant landscape of reedbeds, fen and grazing marshes. The site is alive with species including Kingfishers, Bearded Tits, Otters and Water Voles, and is vibrant with songbirds in spring.
The reserve now qualifies as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Protection Area (SPA), supporting breeding Bitterns, Common Cranes and Marsh Harriers in nationally important numbers.
What you need to know
Local Planning Authority (LPA): King’s Lynn and West Norfolk LPA
National Character Area (NCA): The Fens
Distinctiveness units:
Watercourse - ditches (medium)
Wetland - upland and lowland fens (very high)
Grassland – floodplain, wetland mosaic and coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (high)
Woodland and forest – wet woodland (high)
Neighbouring LPAs
- South Holland LPA
- East Cambridgeshire LPA
- Fenland LPA
- Breckland LPA
- North Norfolk LPA
- West Suffolk LPA
Neighbouring NCAs
- Lincolnshire Coast and Marshes
- Lincolnshire Wolds
- Central Lincolnshire Vale
- Southern Lincolnshire Edge
- Kesteven Uplands
- Northern Lincolnshire Edge with Coversands
- Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
- East Anglian Chalk
- The Brecks
- North West Norfolk
How Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will benefit RSPB Lakenheath Fen
Our team is converting the four, newly acquired arable fields that make up the BNG site into a variety of wetland habitats. To aid this transformation, dams, sluices and a water pump have been constructed to raise water levels across the site and create the new habitats. New ditches have also been created to help move water around the new land and will be available as BNG habitat too.
In the lowest lying field, the higher water levels will create fen habitat, lock carbon in previously drained organic soil, and create a high-priority habitat. Alongside appropriate grazing and cutting, the raised water levels will also transform other fields into coastal floodplain grazing marsh.
Elsewhere, another area will be enhanced from a conifer plantation to a wet woodland. This will allow for the natural replacement of non-native conifer trees by native species such as Common Alder, Elder, and willows.
High-quality Biodiversity Net Gain
The RSPB Lakenheath Fen team has great experience in creating and managing these habitat types, as is shown by the incredible transformation that has taken place at the site over the last thirty years. Therefore, the creation of these new habitats offers significant opportunity for high-quality Biodiversity Net Gain.