Restore England’s Wetlands (home to wildlife, prevent floods)
The wetlands of England are made of up of various bogs, marshes, estuaries and Fens, all vital for various birds and native wildlife, along with being crucial to help prevent floods. Yet in the last 200 years, we have lost over 90% of them, mostly due to urban building and pollution from farm run-off.
The most well-known Wetlands include The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, The Wash (also in East Anglia) and Wallasea Island (Essex).
Out walking? Follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and other toxic plants/trees) and on leads during nesting season (and near barnyard friends and wild ponies).
At the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
From the windswept broads of Norfolk to the dragonfly-rich marshes in Somerset, these watery places are packed with everything from endangered curlews and water voles, to rare butterflies and sea turtles.
The best way to help dragonflies and damselflies is to preserve remaining wetlands (their natural homes). In 1637, East Anglia had 3,380 square kilometres of wetland. In 1986 there was just 10 square kilometres left.
The main types of wetlands in England are:
- Wet grasslands (home to endangered curlews and wildflowers)
- Seagrass beds (vital as food for endangered sea turtles)
- Rivers and streams (vital to keep free of oil, litter and sewage)
- Reedbeds (home to bitterns, eels and harvest mice)
- Ponds (vital homes for amphibians: frogs, toads & newts)
- Peat bogs (home to dragonflies, damselflies & butterflies)
- Lakes (these are home to over 140,000 species)
- Estuaries (where freshwater and seawater meets)
- Ditches & scrapes (these small areas also support wildlife)
- Fens (fertile wetlands, mostly found in Eastern England)
Wetlands worldwide include coral reefs, lagoons and mangroves.
WWT is helping to restore 100,000 hectares of wetlands in the UK, and also buying up low-lying ground to create new ones. It’s also creating a saltmarsh nature reserve in the Forest of Dean, which will be a haven for wildlife, and also store carbon to help reduce floods and climate change.
Why do England’s wetlands matter?
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, often supporting a patchwork of reeds, bogs, ponds, and marshes. They might look like just soggy corners of the countryside, but they pack huge ecological punch.
- Flood defence: Wetlands soak up and slow floodwater.
- Wildlife sanctuary: Wetlands support more species per square metre, than most habitats. That means birds, insects, amphibians, and plants.
- Natural filter: Wetlands clean water by trapping pollutants and sediments.
- Climate cooling: They lock up carbon, helping to slow climate change.
How to protect England’s wetlands
There are few things we can collectively do to help restore our wetlands:
Avoid buying peat compost
Peat bogs form over thousands of years and store massive amounts of carbon, and retain water (and are home to many endangered species. So choose peat-free compost for gardening (also buy peat-free whisky).
If you garden alongside animals, read our post on pet-friendly gardens. Keep fresh compost away from pets (contains mould – and some mulches contain cocoa, pine and rubber – all unsafe).
Restore reedbeds and seagrass beds
Reedbeds and seagrass beds work like giant sponges, cleaning water and giving safe cover to fish, birds and insects. Many have been ruined through over-fishing and boat anchors.
Seagrass beds are also ‘watery meadow’ homes to endangered seahorses and sea turtles (who eat seagrass, known as ‘ocean lawnmowers’). Advanced mooring systems has developed an alternative to boat anchors, that is safer for seagrass beds and marine wildlife.
Ban lead ammunition
Many water birds and wetland creatures suffer from abandoned lead shot, which also poisons endangered water voles, ducks and predators higher up the food chain. At present, there is only a voluntary ban, which is not working. Join the campaign to ban lead ammunition.
Volunteer for local clean-ups
Not dropping litter is of course vital. But to remove litter, plastic waste and dumped tyres that are already clogging up our streams and marshes, is vital to unblock water flow and avoid trapped wildlife.
Set up or join litter-picking groups (litter picking-tools included!)
Support those buying wetland sites
Not big business! But some rewilding charities are now buying precious wetland sites, simply so that once they own the land, nobody can come along and build on it.
This keeps water voles, dragonflies, lapwings and curlews on land that is safe from development. You can help by donating to Natural World Fund and Heal.
