In the 17th century, when the first large-scale attempts were being made to drain the Fens, an anonymous protest ballad imagined the creaturely resentment coursing through the waters of the wetlands. “For they do mean all Fens to drain, and waters overmaster,” laments a sea lamprey in Powte’s Complaint. “All will be dry, and we must die, ’cause Essex calves want pasture”.
The local protests were in vain. Since 1700, according to research published this year, the UK has lost more than 75% of its wetlands as land has been drained for development and farming. The Industrial Revolution inevitably accelerated the destruction of terrain that was viewed simply as wasteland. But the tide may finally be turning for habitats that should be valued as 21st century environmental assets, crucial both to preserving biodiversity and protecting Britain’s coastline.
The welcome nomination of England’s east wetlands as a possible Unesco world heritage site, announced by the government this month, potentially places them in the exalted company of the Galápagos Islands. For the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which jointly put forward the application, the move is a vindication of their efforts to put marshland and mudflats stretching from the Humber to the Thames on the political map.
A greater profile will rightly focus attention on ongoing conservation efforts, helping to safeguard the interests of the 155 bird species that rely on the wetlands and their intricate ecosystem. Among other things, these boggy expanses function as a kind of avian pit stop, serving migratory birds travelling the East Atlantic Flyway from the Arctic Circle to southern Africa. This spring, 200,000 birds will feast on their fish and insects, find rich pickings in the mud and use marsh and wet meadow to breed and roost.
The bid is therefore good news for guests such as curlews, oystercatchers, knots and pink-footed geese. But the Unesco publicity should also be used kickstart a wider discussion on climate adaptation along Britain’s most vulnerable coastline. Carefully managed and renewed, the wetlands can act in the future as a vital carbon sink and a sponge-like shock absorber for increased water flows. It is projected that the east of England could witness sea level rises of up to 1.15m by 2100. In the country as a whole, an estimated 200,000 coastal properties will be at risk by 2050. Restored wetlands can help reduce the impact of storm surges and flooding, forming a natural line of defence for coastal communities. At Wallasea Island on the Essex coast, for example, 3m tonnes of soil displaced by Crossrail’s construction has been used to recreate a lost wetland landscape, encouraging wildlife and reducing flooding risks. Further projects like that one should be supported.
If Unesco status is achieved for the wetlands, two areas that featured in the BBC TV series Wild Isles – the Blakeney nature reserve and RSPB Minsmere – will be included. Neglected and undermined for centuries, some of the most beautiful places in Britain are getting the recognition they deserve. They can also play a vital role in helping the country adapt to the challenges of the future.
