Wetlands - Nature and Climate in the Broads
It's incredible to think that the Broads hold the equivalent of over 40 million tonnes of CO2, and it could be a whole lot more, if managed right.
A huge amount of work is going on behind the scenes to ensure that these beautiful wetlands can be productive to both humans and nature.
Here Andrea Kelly from the Broads Authority sets out her vision for a wetter and wilder future.
Currently in the Broads
The Broads National Park stores a huge amount of carbon, equivalent to over 40 million tonnes of C02. About 97% of this is stored in the soil, with about 3% in plants. Peat is a very effective store for excess carbon and by maintaining existing peatland alongside creating new peatlands, this can help contribute towards reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere which we know is contributing towards climate change.
The Broads Authority are working with farmers, land managers and policy makers to build soil carbon and nature-rich wetlands by setting up some farmland to hold water on the soil and potentially grow wetland crops. Our Broads Peat project is supporting farmers and land managers to calculate how much more carbon could be stored, and we are also working with an eco-investment company - Revere to work out how to gain carbon funding.
Wetlands, particularly areas with peat soils such as the Broads, are one of the UK’s most valuable habitats and are vital in supporting unique plants and rare wildlife. Some of this land is degraded by drainage in the Broads, meaning that the land shrinks lower each year and because exposure of the soil to the air (no longer wet soil) releases carbon, this reduces the amount of carbon stored. Restoring the UK’s important habitats, such as the Broads, for nature could help lock away 14 million tonnes of CO2e per year, nearly a third our annual agricultural emissions, according to RSPB scientists.
The Broads in the Past
Over the evolution and history of the Broads, we have come to value a landscape of wetlands drained to make way for modern farming. It’s a system that sees water pumped out, into the sea. We have inherited a dry farming system, focused on arable crops and livestock. This extensive draining has left much of the landscape dry and uniform when it could be providing water storage, water purification and also teaming with wetland life, alongside much needed additional space for people’s enjoyment, physical and mental health.
If we go back to before land was drained and before the time we had electricity, steam, and wind pumps, ecosystems and marsh people were rich. The abundant wildfowl and fish fed people. Willows, alder, reeds and sedge provided massive yields of natural biomass for building materials. Of course, there is no going back to those times, but elements of this rich and productive system, have real benefits for us combined with Broads farming today.
Advancements in drainage over many hundreds of years, has caused soils in the Broads to shrink and consolidate. You may have seen how high the river level is on some parts of the Broads, in comparison to the grazed marshes around them. This drying out also threatens the preservation of the buried archaeology, such as the ancient causeways across the marshes and buried boats, such as the boat discovered in the Chet valley.
Drainage has created a landscape that we now value, but it is by no means natural. Here at the Broads Authority, we don’t see the landscape as necessarily being a fixed thing. We know we are connected to the sea, and that sea level rise and increasing storms may change the landscape over time. We want to help find ways to adapt that will be good for people and for nature.
The Broads in the Future
With our partners, we are having lots of discussions with farmers, landowners and policy makers about opportunities to hold our fresh water within the land, raise water levels in soils, and grow different types of crops. For example, we are working with farmers on our demonstration farm to explore the possibilities of growing more traditional crops for things like building materials (thatch and insulation board) and clothing, in the form of reeds and typha (reedmace).
In fact, an Association of reed and sedge cutters still work in the Broads, which is one of the only places where this traditional industry continues, yet we import over 90% of the UK’s demand for thatching reeds. Clearly, we could do much more if private and public finance align to provide benefits to local communities; a combination of local products, low carbon footprint, jobs for local people and of course a functioning floodplain that protects communities. This is before you even think about how worthwhile landscape-scale recovery could be for nature.
There is also the potential for flood storage and the water cleaning potential that comes with functioning wetlands. If you run water through a wetland it absorbs a huge amount of nutrients, like agrochemical fertilisers and waste water. We know the Broads needs better water quality and this requires good flows of water. Wetlands offer a cost effective ‘eco’ service which can enhance farmer and industry efforts to ensure good water quality. We want to create solutions for the future and not focus on what has happened in the past. For example. farmers were incentivised to drain in the past, and that was the right thing for society at the time. But society now needs an alternative approach to land management, one that benefits far more people and in tune with nature.
Steps in the Broads
Having left the EU in 2021, we are in transition to a new form of agri-environment support called Environmental Land Management schemes (ELM) which is uncertain for farmers. We want to work with farmers, through this transition. You can find lots of useful information on the government website.
We are also supporting farmers by developing commercial opportunities from private finance to help viable farm businesses to sustain environmental benefits. There are communities who need flood relief, companies who want to buy carbon credits, and many people who want to invest in nature. What we want to do is create an investment portfolio within the Broads, with those landowners who are ready to engage in this change.
All these schemes are voluntary, and we have a lot of interest from farmers who want to see how this blending of finance might work for them. It feels very far off into the future, but we are at a point of change. It is prudent to catch and store some of the excess water for times of drought. Working in partnership, we can be smarter in the way we manage our water. This approach will enable partners to align major investment programs and breathe back new life into the Broads.
Let’s look at an example; the Internal Drainage Boards are working with the Environment Agency for a multi-million fund for a completely new pumping system that could revolutionise water management. New investment would allow water to be managed by new screw augers that could transfer very small volumes of water to retain flows as well as respond to removing high flood water. This new technology would also help feed water to places that are currently dry, but where people might want to keep water within the floodplain with support of carbon credits.
Making Nature Friendly Farming Pay
Farms are businesses, so with that in mind, the Broads Authority are bringing in a finance company to help farmers make the transition to more nature-friendly farming techniques as part of the Broads Peat project. For example, at the moment we do not have a verification system for carbon credits in lowland wetlands like the Broads. If you are in the uplands and you want to wet your peat, you can get money for that from private finance because there is a verification system that qualifies you. This year, UK partners are developing this lowland verification, there remains a lot of work to do.
We recognise that we are in a time of policy transition in agri-environment, with short-term incentives that don’t provide security for businesses who may wish to make long-term changes within floodplains, capturing carbon, improving water quality and enhancing nature. Making nature friendly farming pay requires supportive governance, including regulation, policy and high-level financial considerations as well as qualified and experienced professionals to support technical delivery.
A Brighter Future for the Broads
We have an opportunity for further positive change in the Broads. The Broads Authority are working with a group of farmers and land managers to discuss the stages, and we want to support them every step of the way. To do this in relation to carbon and nature, we are hosting a number of events for farmers and land managers can take part in, which will include surveys to help gauge farmer’s and land manager’s needs and views. We will then produce material that will help them make choices for local land management businesses, and for nature.
We are also demonstrating how to create a ‘wet farming’ system to build soil carbon and produce crops suitable for wetlands (known as paludiculture). Our methods also lock carbon into the soil - a bonus for the climate. For example, a piece of land in the Upper Thurne area is being prepared as a ‘wet farming’ site to produce crops suitable for wetlands as part of our CANAPE EU Interreg project. These methods also lock carbon into the soil - a bonus for the climate.
The Broads Authority are not just focusing on adapting land management, because that is not realistic for all land managers. We continue to work with our partners on managing and valuing what we have now and our Water Mills and Marshes project is a good example of a programme dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Broads. Clearly, as climate change unfolds, there will be many more opportunities and challenges.
What you could do for Nature and Climate in Wetlands
The Broads is part of a global network of wetlands set up to protect these increasing rare habitats. Many wetlands have vast stores of carbon in their peat soil. Although peat is no longer dug up in the Broads, it is still taken from other wetlands for the gardening and horticultural industry. A government consultation on protecting precious peatland habitats and meet net zero targets by banning the use of peat in horticulture in England and Wales is open for responses until 18th March 2022 Plans to phase out the use of peat in the amateur horticulture sector - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Summary
A partnership of farmers and land managers led by the Broads Authority has been awarded almost £800,000 from DEFRA and Natural England to design peatland restoration projects in the Broads to improve carbon storage and help adapt to climate change. The Broads Authority is also working with farmers and land managers to explore how future farming could deliver benefits for both nature and climate, and attract private carbon finance.
Andrea Kelly, Environment Policy Adviser, Broads Authority
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