Wicken Fen hopes climate change brings 'opportunity' to wildlife
The nature reserve is using peat as a way to help limit carbon emissions
A nature reserve in Cambridgeshire thought to be the "most biodiverse recorded reserve in the UK" is using climate change to its advantage.
In a net zero and climate resilience report by the county's Combined Authority for this year, 37% of land locally is at risk of flooding due to its low lying nature.
While the report also states Cambridgeshire and Peterborough had an average of 12.2 days with 10 millimetres or more rainfall, and 0.4 extreme summer days over 35 degrees.
"Because things are getting warmer, some species are heading north so a lot of moths and dragonflies - for example - are moving," Ajay Tegala, ranger at Wicken Fen, said.
"That's why it's important we look after Wicken (Fen) and maintain it because these species that are moving round, they arrive, can colonise and start breeding here, so it's both a challenge and an opportunity."
A rare type of moth, the six-belted clearwing, was recorded as the 10,000th species at Wicken Fen earlier this year.
Alan Kell - countryside manager at the National Trust - said at the time that "concerted effort over time to expand, restore and care for it has created this haven for wildlife that is a thousand times the size it was, and we believe, the most biodiverse recorded reserve in the UK."
The expansion of Wicken Fen, combined with warmer temperatures, has helped the reserve to reach the milestone of 10,000 different species.
How peat is playing a role in climate change
One of the ways the reserve is trying to manage climate change is through the use of peat.
"When peat stays wet, it holds in carbon and that's helping to mitigate against climate change because instead of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, keeping it wet and locked in the soil stops that from happening," Ajay said.
"When we have wetter conditions, if we can hold onto that water for things like reservoirs and keep it for the summer, it can be used for irrigating crops nearby and for creating habitat here."
Around 70% of wasted peatland in the country is in Cambridgeshire, which can lead to higher carbon emissions.
Peat that is in good condition can prove important for helping preserve habitats for wildlife, flood prevention and grazing land.
"It's about being creative and when things are right, making it last," Ajay added.
"I think it's hard to deny the climate is getting more extreme, it's becoming clear and when people come to places like Wicken Fen, they can see wildlife is still here and finding its way."