this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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UK Nature and Environment

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A huge project to create one of the biggest reedbeds in the UK at a quarry site is more than half complete.

The RSPB said work to expand its Ouse Fen nature reserve, north of Cambridge, started in 2001.

New wetland is being carefully created by the phased restoration of Needingworth Quarry, where sand and gravel are extracted for use by the construction industry.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Around 16 million tonnes of aggregates have been quarried from the site to make way for wetland habitat, and the reserve will grow to the size of nearly 980 football pitches by the end of the project.

The quarry operator, initially Heidelberg Materials (formerly Hanson UK) and now Brice Aggregates, is gradually handing the restored wetland over to the RSPB.

In the last 20 years the site has become a habitat for bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded tits as well as otters, water voles and 22 different species of dragonfly.

Chris Hudson, senior site manager at RSPB Ouse Fen said: “We have achieved such a lot here, and we are over the moon at how this long-term project has nurtured endangered wildlife populations, but there is still much more work to do.

“The ongoing creation of Ouse Fen is a long established and exemplary quarry restoration scheme providing a new large scale and nationally significant wetland habitat.

“We are pleased to be taking over the project from the capable stewardship of Heidelberg Materials and look forward to working with the RSPB to continue delivering benefits for vulnerable wildlife species and local communities alike.


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