New partnership with the RSPB aims to restore land for wildlife, the climate and local community

Through this agreement, the Group has supported the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, to complete a land acquisition that will enable them to unlock and restore the additional land next to the RSPB’s Lakenheath Fen reserve. The wetland restoration will expand the reserve and allow the habitat and wildlife there to flourish while further reducing carbon emissions and making the reserve a thriving, vibrant space for the people who visit.

Located on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, the 400-hectare Lakenheath Fen was made into a nature reserve by the RSPB in 1995 after arable land was re-established as reed beds and wet grassland. Now, the Fen is home to a number of threatened bird species including the previously near extinct bittern and the crane, a bird that disappeared from the UK about 400 years ago and successfully fledged at Lakenheath in 2009.

Wetlands represent some of the most biodiverse habitats and carbon rich ecosystems in the UK and over a third of global wetlands have disappeared since 1970. The land was secured with the support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and the donation by Morgan Sindall Group has made it possible for the RSPB to complete the purchase of the adjoining 54 ha of land, creating more opportunities to restore the wetland and prevent further loss of carbon from the degraded soils.

Jo Gilbert, RSPB’s Conservation Programmes Director, said, “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Morgan Sindall Group – with their support, we will be able to return a large section of land to nature, enabling endangered species to recover and also locking away carbon to help preserve our own future against the climate crisis. Lakenheath Fen is a very special place - it saw the first cranes fledge in the Fens for about 400 years, and we can’t wait to see what other wildlife comes to make it their home.”

Graham Edgell, Director of Sustainability and Procurement, Morgan Sindall Group, said “We are proud to support the RSPB in protecting and restoring their land for wildlife, the climate and future generations. Our partnership is part of a long-term ambition to support wildlife and environmental projects, engage our colleagues and increase our sustainability commitments in association with the UK’s leading nature conservation charity.”