Wicken Fen’s peatland restoration and Living Lowlands work are large-scale, landscape-level efforts to rewet and recover lowland peat habitats at this iconic nature reserve—protecting carbon stores, boosting biodiversity, and developing nature-based solutions for water and farming that can be scaled more widely across England.
At Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire, the National Trust is delivering ambitious peatland recovery work that is helping restore deep fen peat to a wetter, nature-rich state. The Peatland Restoration Project focuses on rewetting and managing water tables across hundreds of hectares of degraded fenland, enabling peat to act as a carbon store rather than a source of emissions and creating vital wetland habitat for rare wildlife, from waterbirds to invertebrates. This work is supported by Defra’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, partnership funding and philanthropy.
The Living Lowlands programme embeds Wicken Fen’s restoration within a broader vision for lowland peat landscapes across England. With investment from The Nature Recovery Project, this multi-site initiative is bringing together peatland rewetting, sustainable water management, research and nature-friendly farming practices to tackle climate and biodiversity challenges at scale. At Wicken, pilot actions include restoring peatland to reduce emissions, creating a nature-rich reservoir to balance water extremes, and exploring paludiculture (wet farming) that supports both livelihoods and landscape recovery.
Together, these efforts position Wicken Fen as a national model for restoring lowland peat ecosystems that benefit people and wildlife. By holding water on the landscape, reversing peat degradation and fostering partnerships across sectors, the work contributes to climate resilience, thriving fenland biodiversity and opportunities for research, education and community engagement that can be shared with other lowland peat sites.
We have one completed peatland restoration project (2024/25) and one ongoing (Jan-Mar 2026), which is a continuation/expansion of the first – peatland restoration is an ongoing project, with plans for further works subject to funding.
| Dates | October 2024 – March 2026 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Area of habitat created or improved | 275 hectares |
| Location | Wicken Fen, Lode Lane, Wicken, Ely CB7 5XP How to visit: Parking at Wicken Fen, then walk or cycle along Lodes Way |
Partners and Funders
Funded by: The Nature Recovery Project, DEFRA Nature For Climate, Starling Bank, Anglian Water