Nature recovery is a key part of our ongoing work to conserve and enhance the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape. Our Nature Network Officer, Alex Moore da Luz, provides a round-up from all of our nature recovery projects and volunteer work parties for November 2023.
1 Funding
£29,256 funding has been secured through Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve.
The funding will help to pay for:
- 1,200m of in-dyke anti predator fencing
- Just over 2km dyke restoration
- Just over 1km of footdrain creation / restoration
- 2 x wader breeding islands
- Re-profiling of one wader breeding island
2 Volunteer work parties
Two nature recovery work parties were carried out at Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve under the expert guidance of the Nature Reserve Warden, Joe Underwood.
The volunteers (above) helped to thin out plantation woodland which had been planted 10 or so years ago to act as a screen and a sound break to the busy adjacent port.
Many of the species planted are of very low biodiversity value such as Holm Oak and White Poplar so these were taken out and stacked in log piles and used as barriers to deer to help the woodland understory scrub over with bramble and flora.
This work will help create nesting habitat and feeding opportunities for a variety of bird species such as Spotted Flycatcher, Nightingale and warblers.
3 Hedgerow Heroes Project
Eight volunteers (and a dog!) attended the Coast & Heaths Hedgerow Heroes training event on Nov 30th at Butley Village Hall.
The volunteers learnt how these surveys will help to contribute to the wider nature recovery plan objectives and most importantly how to use a hedgerow survey app.
The app was designed by one of the National Landscapes fantastic volunteers (Adrian Silvertown) and has already been used to great effect in the Dedham Vale.
The volunteers will help to identify where new hedges can be planted across the National Landscape in addition to gapping up opportunities and how existing hedges could be better managed for wildlife.
4 Project updates
8,885 hedge saplings have been purchased for planting out in both the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape, and the neighbouring Dedham Vale National Landscape. Sites include Stratford St. Mary, Bawdsey, Ramsholt and Dunwich.
Rain and floodwater has prevented three scrape and footdrain creation projects from being completed this calendar year – hopefully weather conditions will improve enough early next year to get a digger on site.
You can find out more about our nature recovery work and read our Nature Recovery Plan on our website, or you can contact Nature Network Officer, Alex Moore da Luz, at [email protected].