Eleven hectares of fen bordering a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Oxfordshire are to be restored thanks, in part, to funding from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
SSEN – the Distribution Network Operator for central southern England – has just become a founding partner and the first utility company to support the Projects for Nature, which connects the company with nature recovery projects in its licence areas.
This partnership has enabled just under £77,000 of funding from SSEN to be put towards the nature recovery project that involves restoration and rewetting of this vulnerable area of historic fen under the care of Freshwater Habitats Trust.
Alkaline fens like the one to be restored in Oxfordshire support a wide array of wetland species – some of which are very rare and not found anywhere else.
They are important for the UK’s biodiversity but are vulnerable to encroachment from trees and shrubs and drying from land conversion. This funding will help rewet this vulnerable area.
SSEN is leading the way in its support for Projects for Nature. The platform brings together the expertise of businesses, environmental NGOs and the UK Government, along with its expert environmental bodies.
It showcases nature projects assessed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Natural England, and the Environment Agency and aims to make it simpler for businesses to get involved in nature recovery.
2023’s State of Nature report concludes the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. 1 in 7 of the UK’s native species are facing extinction, while two-fifths are seeing their populations fall.
Halting and reversing the decline in nature requires all sectors to work together. SSEN’s support for Projects for Nature is contributing much-needed funding for nature projects, helping nature to recover alongside providing additional benefits for people and the climate.
SSEN Distribution’s Managing Director Chris Burchell said: “I’m proud SSEN Distribution is the first utility company to support Projects for Nature. SSEN is fortunate to work in many of the UK’s most precious natural environments. This is a privilege – and it’s also a big responsibility.
“We already have significant measures in place to protect and enhance the natural environment around us, and our early support of this initiative is seeing us give further meaningful support to natural habitats in the communities we serve.
SSEN’s involvement in Projects for Nature is, in addition to its actions, to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate impacts arising from operations and supply chains.
Professor Jeremy Biggs, CEO of Freshwater Habitats Trust, said: “We’re so pleased to have received this generous Projects for Nature funding from SSEN and are very excited to start restoring this fen. Alkaline fens are extraordinary habitats which support many rare freshwater plants and animals but are sadly now vanishingly scarce.
“This funding will enable us to build on Freshwater Habitats Trust’s ongoing commitment to restoring these declining habitats. It is also a significant boost for the Freshwater Network – our approach to creating a national network of wilder, wetter, cleaner, more connected habitats to reverse the decline in freshwater biodiversity.”
The Chairperson of Projects for Nature, Justin Francis, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome SSEN as a founding business partner of Projects for Nature.
“SSEN’s 1.5-degree science-based target underpins its environment action plan, and we greatly appreciate how they’re extending their environment commitment to support two vital nature restoration projects.
“Restoring nature supports biodiversity, provides benefits to local communities, helps sequester carbon, and enhances climate adaptation. We welcome SSEN’s leadership and support for these exciting projects.”
