A Lake District project to restore the landscape has won a global award.
Wild Haweswater, a partnership between the RSPB and landowner United Utilities, near Bampton, has won the annual Ashden Award for Natural Climate Solutions.
It was one of seven innovative winners and Wild Haweswater won the nature-based solutions category.
The prestigious award was in recognition of the landscape restoration work at Wild Haweswater, from the re-wiggling of Swindale Beck, to establishing Mardale Mountain Meadow, from re-wetting peat bogs, to nature-friendly farming, planting tens of thousands of trees and creating the largest native tree and plant nursery in the Lake District.
The project aims to restore the rugged landscape, improve drinking water, absorb carbon, and increase resilience to flooding, drought, and fire in the fight against climate change.
By protecting ancient Atlantic oakwood, restoring upland plants and returning natural processes, Haweswater is a place where wildlife can thrive, including red squirrels, salmon, pied flycatchers, rare lichens, and the recently recolonised Marsh Fritillary Butterfly.
In 2016, the natural bends were put back into a one-kilometre stretch of Swindale Beck, which had been artificially straightened around two centuries ago.
The restoration work was to slow the flow of the river, creating suitable habitat for spawning salmon and trout, improving water quality, and contributing to reducing the risk of downstream flooding.
And 30,000 plants, of about 50 different native species, are being grown at the on-site tree and plant nursery and 200,000 native trees have been planted on site since 2011.
Plus, 200 hectares of peat bog has been restored, helping to capture carbon and 30 hectares of species-rich wildflower hay meadow has been restored.
The land is also home to 300 Cheviot ewes alongside 35 Belted Galloway, Highland and Luing cattle and four native Cumbrian Fell ponies, which all contribute to conservation grazing on the site.
Wild Haweswater has 19 staff and a team of around 40 volunteers.
Glen Swainson, RSPB senior site manager at Wild Haweswater, said: “Partnership working with other organisations and local communities is key to ensuring that nature-based solutions within a farmed landscape can be beneficial to the climate and both the economy and the ecology of this rugged part of the Lake District.
“Thanks to the ongoing conservation work, salmon are breeding once more in the restored Swindale Beck, while dippers and common sandpipers fly overhead.
“Once scarce Alpine plants are returning to the fells. Ring ouzels, redstarts and pied flycatchers make their nests and rare Marsh Fritillary butterflies have recolonised in the wildflower-rich meadows.
“We’re delighted to receive this award and it’s only thanks to all our staff, volunteers and partners that so much has been achieved at Wild Haweswater. We are, however, in a nature and climate emergency and need to do so much more collectively to achieve our vision for net zero, restoring habitats, harnessing renewable energy, and supporting nature friendly farming for the benefit of nature, climate and people.”
