Projects

Baston and Thurlby Fens Project

The Baston and Thurlby Fens Project aims to restore and re-create up to 800ha of Lincolnshire's lost wild fenlands between Bourne and Market Deeping.

Centred on the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves in Baston and Thurlby Fens, habitat restoration will include areas of wet grasslands, utilised for grazing and hay production, reedbeds, swampland, wet woodlands and open water.

Working with local landowners, farm tenants, the mineral industry and local communities, the project partners are seeking to create a sustainably managed landscape in which wildlife and people will thrive.

Coversands Heathland

The Coversands lowland heathland is found in the northern half of historic Lincolnshire and along the eastern edge of Nottinghamshire. The area is an extraordinary mosaic of heather, acid and calcareous grasslands, mire and inland sand dunes. Only the Brecklands of Norfolk and the Suffolk Sandlings show such a comparable variety of heathland habitats in the UK.

Two hundred years ago there was over 60,000 ha of Coversands in the region, but this has dwindled to a mere 700ha. Often referred to as the "forgotten heathlands", a significant heathland restoration and re-creation project is currently taking place.

Life on the Verge

• is the largest wild flower survey of Britain's roadside verges
• aims to identify the most important roadside verges for limestone grassland wildlife in Lincolnshire, Rutland and East Leicestershire
• will rely on local volunteers of all skill levels - please help if you can!

Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marshes

The Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marshes are steeped in history, with a rich cultural and wildlife heritage. Traditionally associated with pastoral farming, they are also linked to the sea and the changing coastline. The land is scattered with historic landscape features and archaeological remains.

However, very little remains of once extensive areas of traditionally managed grazing marshes and dykes and what is left is under serious threat. Action is required now if the grazing marshes are to be conserved and enjoyed by generations to come. The LCGM Partnership Project aims to protect, maintain and enhance the key features of the area and secure its future.

Lincolnshire Limewoods

The Lincolnshire Limewoods Project is a 5-year partnership project which aims to protect, enhance and promote the natural and historic landscape and features of the Lincolnshire Limewoods.

The woods are special because they are one of the few areas of woodlands characterised by small-leaved lime remaining in Britain. Many of the woods have ancient origins. In the 11th century the Domesday Survey recorded a concentration of woodland in central Lincolnshire, centred on the Limewoods area. Over time, many of the woods have been lost or dramatically changed. Those that remain are important habitats for species that are locally or nationally threatened. Many of the woods are collectively designated as the Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve in recognition of their importance for nature conservation.

As well as ancient woodlands, a number of Scheduled Monuments are found across the Limewoods area. These include the Witham Abbeys, a series of medieval religious houses developed along the Witham Valley which forms the southern boundary of the Limewoods area. The valley has a fascinating history with important archaeological finds dating back to the Iron Age.

Yorkshire & Humber Environmental Data Network

Yorkshire & Humber Environmental Data Network (YHEDN) is a project funded primarily by Natural England bringing together all the Local Record Centres in the region. Record Centres around the region are established, managed and funded by different types of organisation including Local Authorities, Wildlife Trusts and Independent Charities.

The aim of the YHEDN project is to standardise the funding and the operation of record centres in the region; to provide a secure future for regional recording; to develop best practice, common policies and services; and to enable the production of regional data products to agreed, common standards.