We hear from RES, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, which has begun a three-year collaboration with the Trust to conserve and enhance wetland habitats at two of our nature reserves. The work covers King’s Meads near Ware and Purwell Ninesprings near Hitchin, and will combine physical habitat restoration with volunteering and public engagement.

The partnership will restore over 500 metres of ditch habitat and restore over 430 square metres of existing pond habitat across the two sites. Together these will support species including Water Vole, Water Violet, and breeding dragonflies and damselflies. The restored ditches and ponds will also slow the movement of water through the landscape, reducing flood risk downstream.

Hertfordshire has less wetland than most of the country. Wetlands cover just 1 per cent of the county against a national average of 3 per cent, and the county has seen a 47 per cent decline in wetland species over the past 50 years. Restoring ditch and pond networks is one of the most direct ways of reversing that trend, because it reconnects fragmented habitat rather than creating isolated pockets of it.

Alongside the habitat work, the Trust will organise volunteering activities and raise awareness of wetlands and the practical steps people can take to protect them. RES colleagues will join the Trust’s volunteer work parties, with one dedicated group activity planned in each year of the project.

The collaboration sits within RES’ Power for Good purpose, which commits the company to delivering benefit beyond the clean energy it generates. RES has been headquartered in Hertfordshire for decades at its King’s Langley office, and the two reserves lie within a short distance of the communities where much of its UK workforce lives.

Louis McManus, Senior Sustainability Analyst at RES, said: 

"Wetland restoration cannot be rushed. Having worked with the Trust on this project, what stands out to me is how much patience it demands. A three-year commitment enables site's rotation cycle, giving species time to recolonise between phases of work, and ensures that the regular required management work is continued to maintain the wetland environment. This collaboration reflects RES' wider commitment to supporting the communities and environments connected to where we operate. Our projects at RES leave a lasting positive difference by decarbonising the energy sector. This project does the same thing from the other direction, restoring the carbon-storing wetlands for our communities and the environment."

Anna Daniels, Senior Reserves Officer, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said: 

“Wetlands support a huge variety of plants and some of our most beloved wildlife, providing shelter, food and places to breed. But restoring their biodiversity takes careful, ongoing conservation management. We’re incredibly grateful to RES for their three-year commitment to this project, which will allow us to plan and deliver essential ditch and pond works. This work will improve habitat and support wetland species. Working with volunteers from RES alongside our regular work parties also gives us a wonderful opportunity to show more people just how important healthy ditches and water are to the wider landscape.”

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