Achieving more for nature's recovery

Stoke Ferry Wetland is uniquely positioned in a strategically important river corridor, in the floodplain of the River Wissey, close to other existing wetlands and joined to its north by old unimproved species-rich grasslands. This land is difficult to cultivate as it often suffers with flooding or the peat soil degrades during times of drought. However, there’s still plenty of potential for restoring the peat soils, helping to draw atmospheric carbon back down into the ground.

In a first step towards planning the restoration, representatives from Albanwise Environment and Mills & Reeve visited the site with environmental DNA (eDNA) specialists NatureMetrics to extract genetic traces of the land from soil samples to detect which species live in and around the area. The soil samples will then be amplified and compared to global reference libraries that contain the genomes of tens of thousands of species. The data will then be used to connect the peatland soil and water samples with a list of species that live in the project area to find out where the land needs to improve.

The eDNA will also be compared to samples taken from existing wetland sites nearby. This will give clues to the sort of habitats and landscapes that could develop at Stoke Ferry in 20-30 years’ time.

Albanwise will be using these results to develop a plan to restore the natural environment at Stoke Ferry Wetland. Stay tuned for the results...

This peat restoration project is supported through the Fens East Peat Partnership funded by a Restoration Grant from the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme administered by Natural England. 

The Fens East Peat Partnership is funded by a Restoration Grant from the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme administered by Natural England. The six partners are: Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, RSPB, National Trust, Natural England and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.