Project Summary
High Fen Wildland (High Fen) is a 292-hectare grassland site located in the Norfolk Fens in the east of England. The site is managed by Nattergal, which took ownership in 2022. Previously, the site was an arable and daffodil farm with limited food production value due to the complex hydrology, before being bought and converted to grassland by the previous owner with support from Natural England. Nattergal’s aim for High Fen is to fully rewild the site through the restoration of its near-natural hydrology and the improvement of species abundance, communities and diversity.
High Fen is demonstrating how Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and the Peatland Code (PC) can be used in tandem to support these goals, with plans to generate up to 60,000 carbon units through the Peatland Code and 550+ BNG units, spatially allocated across the site. High Fen is unique due to its hydrological isolation and potential for restoration of a broad range of habitats, including calcareous grasslands, lowland fen, peripheral scrub, willow carr, wetlands and reedbeds.