Leaky dams and shaggy meadows might not sound like they’re part of £300 billion worth of national infrastructure. But that's a low estimate of the value of services healthy nature quietly provides the UK each year: from clean air to naturally filtered water, natural cooling to flood prevention and climate change mitigation.
The UK is working towards the international 30by30 goal to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 and nature restoration efforts big and small all have an impact, building a network greater than the sum of its parts. At The Grange - a smallholding near Ross-on-Wye - a small but carefully designed restoration project is showing what it looks like to invest in our critical national nature infrastructure on the ground.
The work is a partnership between Jim and Esther Rawlinson, who own the 6.5 hectare holding, the Wye Valley National Landscape team and Herefordshire Meadows. They've installed five leaky woody structures along the Luke Brook and restored half a hectare of species-rich meadow, with three new ponds due to go in this summer. It's part of a six-year project - three years of delivery, three of ongoing management - funded by National Grid's Landscape Enhancement Initiative and the Environment Agency's Water Environment Improvement Fund, with just over £13,000 spent so far.
A newly installed leaky woody structure at the Grange
From straightened brook to natural sponge
The Luke Brook is a small tributary of the River Wye, and like many watercourses it responds fast to heavy rainfall. Rather than trying to move that water away as quickly as possible, the five leaky structures – built from natural timber – are designed to gently hold it back. During high rainfall, water spreads out across the floodplain - instead of rushing downstream - before continuing on its way more slowly.
Jim and Esther's low-lying floodplain, bordering the brook, already floods regularly and has been left to develop naturally into wet grassland. The leaky structures build on that, helping reduce peak flows, easing flood pressure downstream, trapping sediment and improving water quality by cutting erosion in the brook. There's already a sign it's working for wildlife too: camera traps have picked up otters visiting the site since the dams went in.
A meadow for the pollinators
Alongside the work on the brook, Herefordshire Meadows coordinated the restoration of a species-rich meadow, transplanting seed from a nearby wildflower-rich grassland. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators depend on this kind of habitat, and many food crops depend on them in turn. The restored meadow will provide nectar and pollen through the growing season, adding biodiversity to the farm and resilience to the wider landscape.
Shrill carder bee on yellow rattle.
Farmers leading the way
None of this happens without landowners who are willing to do things differently. As Jim explains:
"Farming and associated development has had a significant impact on nature and biodiversity in our area. This was our opportunity to do something positive to help restore the balance. We hope the leaky woody structures will extend the area of our water meadow, making it more resilient during dry spells, while the meadow restoration improves the diversity of flowering plants and supports more insects and birds. Farmers and landowners have a real opportunity to help nature recover while also sharing in the benefits. I'd encourage anyone considering similar work to speak to, or visit, someone who has already done it – seeing it first-hand helps you understand what's involved and work around any potential challenges."
Jim Rawlinson at The Grange.
Results and wider benefits
The Grange is a small site, but it shows what's possible when practical, locally led action lines up with national ambition. By combining natural flood management with habitat restoration, the project is delivering for water quality, for wildlife and for the Rawlinsons' own farming system – and contributing, in its own modest way, to the target of protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030.
The project at The Grange was delivered by the Wye Valley National Landscape team and Herefordshire Meadows, and funded by National Grid's Landscape Enhancement Initiative, with match funding from the Environment Agency's Water Environment Improvement Fund.
