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Slow the Flow Finchingfield

In partnership with the Environment Agency, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, Atkins and Essex Wildlife Trust the Estate have put together a Natural Flood Management Project for the land above Finchingfield. 

Whilst it sounds grand it actually means installing a number of ‘leaky dams’ in ditches, bunds to redirect water coming off fields and allowing water back onto old water meadows. We hope this will help reduce flooding in Finchingfield and on our local roads. 

Wilding

Taking our lead from nature


We believe that working with nature, and taking our lead from nature's capacity to change (and respond to change) represents the optimal system for us to encourage on the estate. 


However, as we are in a highly agriculturally productive landscape and reasonably far from major population centres, allowing the entire estate to revert to self-willed land isn't a viable option for us.


Instead we identify areas where a more hands-off approach, including releasing beavers, can drive change and deliver the best possible ecosystem services benefits. 

Integrating farming and wildlife


We are working to deliver a complete system change in how we view, and use, our land.


Around half the estate will remain traditionally farmed, managed by our long-term farming tenant families.


The other half, managed directly by the estate, will transition from commodity based agricultural production to a system of perennial crops planted within and alongside a wide range of high impact permanent and rotational environmental options.


Delivering a holistic solution


Historically the estate's land has been primarily used for food production. However, over time, this has led to other ecosystem services being marginalised as they are unable to generate income to support the business. We are not unique in this respect, most agricultural land across the globe suffers the same issue.


Our new system aims to rebalance this situation by modelling how each ecosystem service (such as water quantity, water quality, flood risk, wildlife, climate regulation, food and fibre) will be affected by the planned land use changes. We then use this information to inform delivery plans, but also to reveal the value to society (and private interests) of de-intensifying land use.


Natural Capital Valuation


Our Natural Capital approach provides the evidence base to underpin a system that leverages the value of non-extractive land uses (including flooded land, wilded areas, below ground water storage, carbon sequestration and uncropped fields) to generate sufficient annual revenues to permanently displace traditional crop sales (in some areas of the farm). 


This is subtly different to many 'rewilding' approaches that rely heavily on secondary income streams (from tourism, for example) to sustain the desired land use.


We are already a diversified estate and now need to secure value from the underlying sustainable land use, rather than starting up yet another enterprise to offset the costs of doing the right thing.


If successful this will enable the estate to establish and retain the new system, and provide inspiration for others who may wish to adopt this type of approach on their land. 

  • Cube with sections used to illustrate how parts of the landscape and ecosystem work together to form a functioning whole through the Natural Capital approach

    • Beavers

    The final aspect of the project is a plan to fence an area of stream-side woodland and introduce a pair of Eurasian Beavers. These amazing herbivores (plant eaters) are nature’s water engineers but have been absent from our landscape for over 400 years. Our plan is to allow them free rein inside their enclosure to fell trees, build dams and generally recreate a wet and diverse landscape. 
    Check out the Beaver Gallery [coming soon]

    Measuring Change

    We have installed a number of flow and water quality measurement devices (such as the ones pictured). These take automatic measurements and beam them to the cloud where experts can track and assess the data. In terms of the biology of the water, and the beaver woodland, we plan to carry out before and during surveys to record the changes in habitats and species. 

    January 2019 - there are now 3 different types of monitor on site. Two of which report directly to the cloud so you can view the data.

    Leaky Dams

    Leaky Dams are stacks of wood are designed to hold back water after heavy rain, but not impede flows under normal circumstances (or prevent fields from draining). In addition, these little wooden structures force flood water out of the ditches and onto our meadows, giving it space and slowing it down.
    Check out images of NFM structures [coming soon]

    Soil Management

    In addition to leaky dams we are fortunate to have great farming businesses working on the Estate. Amongst them we have some of the most careful and knowledgeable soil managers in the area. They monitor their soil condition, drill seed and apply fertilizer and pesticides carefully and, in one case, only drive machinery over only 17% of the field area. This means that immediately upstream of Finchingfield the soil health is contributing to holding back water, trapping carbon and providing valuable habitat.
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