Nature reserve doubles in size

An RSPB nature reserve has taken another step towards becoming the largest of its kind in the UK. Construction materials firm Hanson has handed over nearly 100 hectares of land to the RSPB reserve at Ouse Fen, Cambridgeshire, effectively doubling the size of the reserve, and setting the reserve on track to become the UK’S largest created reedbed. This is the latest development in the ground breaking 30-year partnership project between Hanson and the RSPB, which has already provided a lifeline for endangered Bitterns. Over the next 15 years, the reserve is expected to grow to more than three times its current size, thanks to the donation by Hanson of further parcels of land once sand and gravel extraction has been completed, making this Europe’s largest planned conservation and restoration project of its type.

218 hectares, just over 200 football pitches; the size of the reserve including the new land