Bourne North Fen

David Rose

Conservation projects

Bourne North Fen Project

At Bourne North Fen we aim to restore 50 ha of the county’s lost peat-fenland. The site will become a home for a wide variety of wildlife; linking up important nature reserves, creating a multi-purpose wetland which will store water for agriculture and improve water quality for consumers, and underpin a local eco-tourism economy.

This ambitious plan will boost Lincolnshire’s endangered fenland habitats by 30%; supporting iconic species return to the area such as bittern, crane, swallowtail butterfly, spined loach and greater water parsnip. The new wetland would be connected via two rivers to form part of a nature recovery network that will tackle long-standing local water management issues in the driest region in the UK.

Sitting in between our nature reserves of Willow Tree Fen and Baston Fen, it offers the opportunity to restore and reconnect Lincolnshire’s lost fenland.

Tammy Smalley
Head of Conservation, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

What are the project aims?

With the support of the landowner, the aim is to buy the site and restore the land to wet-fenland. Benefits of doing so include:

Creation of a nature recovery network
Reduced flood risk
Improved water quality
Enhanced biodiversity
Increased water capacity for agriculture
Resilience to climate change
Improved local eco-tourism economy

Project partners

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is leading this project but within a broader partnership approach through the South Lincolnshire Water Partnership (SLWP), which represents environment, public water supply, flood risk management, agriculture, business, tourism and leisure sectors.

Bourne North Fen will be a pilot landscape-scale project particularly focused on improving water resource management, which could be replicated elsewhere.

The purchase of Bourne North Fen was made possible with a Biffa Award grant, support from Anglian Water and donations from members of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.