Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change (WRCC)

Over the last 2 years, Groundwork NE & Cumbria have been leading on the Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change (WRCC) to restore mixed habitats, showcasing how different land owners can come together to address climate change, increase biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote carbon storage, in a way that benefits nature and society. 6,303 ha of river catchment in the Mid-Northumberland national character area will eventually be restored, creating space for water in high rainfall events and wetland habitats suitable for curlew, lapwing and other native species.

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Groundwork NE & Cumbria have been awarded almost £1,000,000  by Natural England to pursue and deliver the Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change project. It is one of only six pioneering nature projects, a part of Natural England’s ‘Nature Returns’ national scheme, receiving funding to trial ways to capture carbon and mitigate impacts of climate change. At the heart of the project are nature-based solutions, restoring natural habitats to tackle issues of extreme weather events – wind, temperature and rainfall, which have an effect on farm animals and on soil health which affects future farming. By trying to mitigate these climatic extremes for farmers, the project is also trying to protect and enhance habitats to prevent further decline and collapse of iconic native species.

The WRCC project plans to restore landscapes and habitats including grasslands, peaty pockets and woodland. The work will also assess how carbon is captured and stored across different habitats, and how nature-based solutions can successfully be used to tackle climate change in a farmed landscape. 

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