Nature reserves in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk's ongoing fight against drought

EMBARGOED TO 0001 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. Rangers at the nature reserve have turned on the taps across the site to create a winter wetland habitat for wildfowl on the low-lying land. Issue date: Friday November 24, 2023.
Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, which is owned by the National Trust. Credit: National Trust.

Nature reserves across the east badly hit by previous droughts have both struggled and thrived because of this year's weather, according to a conservation charity.

The National Trust is warning that the mild and wet weather could spell bad news for wildlife in some areas which were impacted by scorching drought in 2022.

One of the country's nature havens which has suffered is Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire.

Butterfly numbers were at their lowest in 15 years of recording during "peak" week at the 125-year-old nature reserve.

Butterfly numbers are down at Wicken Fen, according to the National Trust. Credit: PA

In May, a major £1.8m appeal was launched to restore peat at the 531-acre site.

Originally bought by the National Trust in 1899, Wicken Fen started out as just two acres but since then has grown and is now home to 2,072 species of flies, 1,775 species of beetles and 1,252 species of moths.

But two other sites have fared better from this year's weather in terms of recovering from the drought.

Heather at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk. Credit: National Trust

Drone footage in June at Suffolk's Dunwich Heath revealed that 11% of the damaged heathland heather had come back to life following spring rainfall.

The coastal reserve is home to species including nightjar, woodlark and adders, which suffered a 60% loss due to extreme heat and drought conditions in 2022.

John Deakin, head of trees and woodland at the National Trust, said older trees looked much healthier this year due to high levels of rainfall, while temperate rainforests in the charity’s care "appeared much more verdant and alive".

Elsewhere along the coast, grey seals also established their first colony in Suffolk, at Orford Ness, in a sign of the species’ continued recovery.

The seals are thought to have chosen to breed there due to the low risk of disturbance in the remote spot and as numbers spilt over from other colonies along the coastline.

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