The East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network is aiming to raise wider awareness of the importance of the Fenland Peat and its impact on Climate Change.
The Cambridgeshire Fens Climate Panel has identified that:-
“The Cambridgeshire Fens are part of the low-lying landscape of the east of England. With much of the area lying below sea level, these historic wetlands have been largely converted into agricultural land through complex drainage systems. The fens make up four per cent of the UK’s land but produce seven per cent of the UK’s food including one third of the UK’s vegetables (CPICC 2021).
Alongside food production, farmers in the fens have a crucial role in managing this fragile and important environment. The fens are home to almost a quarter of the lowland peat areas in England and Wales (CPICC 2021). These carbon-rich ecosystems can store and sequester more carbon than any other type of terrestrial ecosystem (International Peatland Society 2021); however, damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Drainage of lowland soils in the fens for agricultural use has dried out peatland and led to the release of previously stored carbon into the atmosphere. Less than one per cent of original undrained fen remains (Fens for the Future 2021).
Oxwillow is the environmental arm of the farming business, based at Mount Pleasant Farm, Pymoor, near Ely, East Cambridgeshire focusing on the challenges the Fens are facing in a changing world. With Biodiversity Net Gain becoming mandatory for developers in England from January 2024 they have already established over 150 units for sale within their
The Fens are in trouble. The area is key for UK food production but draining the soil has exposed peat to the air so it is now a UK hot spot for carbon emissions. Plus the loss of carbon from the soil reduces fertility, and increases the likelihood of flooding. Fixing the emissions and improving
A major international conference is taking place in Ely, Cambridgeshire on the 3-5 October 2023. Focussing on ‘Beyond Restoration’ the conference will take a look into the future of peatland management, reflect on the collective direction of travel and explore mechanisms to secure the future of UK peatlands in the long-term. Being located in Ely,
Fenland SOIL is a not for profit members organisation that aims to inform and develop ‘whole farm’ land use policies, aimed at achieving climate change mitigation and biodiversity enhancement in the Fens, and to help establish an agreed set of numbers for Green House Gas (GHG) emissions for deep, shallow and wasted peat soils. Why
Peatland Progress: A New Vision for the Fens is a 5-year National Lottery Heritage Fund project bringing hope for wildlife, the climate, farming and communities in the Cambridgeshire Fens. The project is tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and the anxieties of the next generation head-on through the restoration of Speechly’s Farm, bringing together the north and
The Fens East Peat Partnership (FEPP) is working on plans to rewet and restore peatland sites in low-lying areas of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep carbon locked in, benefitting the environment, people and wildlife.  Fens East Peatlands – an urgent problem 99% of the Fens East Peatlands
On 27 August 2022, the Government announced a new £5m fund to promote the use of peatlands for sustainable farming  – the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF), which seeks to unlock barriers to making commercial paludiculture a reality. Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment, helping to protect England’s nature and landscapes for people
Fenland SOIL are pleased to announce that we have secured funding from the Natural England Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) with a grant of £450,000 to run until April 2025. Fenland SOIL is an East Cambridgeshire based not for profit members’ organisation that aims to inform and develop ‘whole farm’ land use policies, aimed at achieving
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East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network is a community group of volunteers that are fighting climate change, promoting zero-carbon living and restoring spaces for wildlife. We are affiliated with Friends of the Earth.
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