Isle of Ely Villages Nature Recovery Project

We are working to encourage the Isle of Ely parishes – Coveney, Haddenham, Downham, Little Thetford, Mepal, Stretham, Sutton, Wentworth, Wilburton, Witcham, and Witchford – join forces to create a landscape where nature and people thrive side by side. This includes existing groups and new people.

At the centre of this is growing a team of Nature Detectorists: local residents who care about their surroundings and want to play an active role improving habitats on their doorstep.

Who is a Nature Detectorist?

A Nature Detectorist is any community member who enjoys exploring their local area and spotting opportunities to help wildlife. You don’t need to be an expert — just curious, observant, and willing to get involved.

Much like metal detectorists uncover hidden treasures, Nature Detectorists uncover hidden potential for biodiversity. Together, they help identify opportunities such as:

• Planting hedgerows or native trees
• Restoring or creating ponds
• Improving streams, ditches and wetlands
• Enhancing woodland management
• Encouraging wildlife‑friendly gardens
• Installing bird boxes, bat boxes or hedgehog highways
• Identifying land for community nature spaces

This is about neighbours working together to protect the landscapes they love.

Step 1: Mapping Opportunities with Parish Online

Every parish in Cambridgeshire has free access to Parish Online, a digital mapping tool that becomes a shared community workspace.

Nature Detectorists use it to:

• Plot ideas and opportunities
• Record observations from walks and conversations
• Build a parish‑wide nature recovery map
• Create a shared evidence base for future projects

The map becomes a living community resource — shaped by local knowledge, updated by local people and used to guide collective action.

Step 2: Identifying Landowners and Opening Conversations

Once opportunities are mapped, the next step is simple: talk to people.

 Nature Detectorists help connect:

• Landowners
• Farmers
• Parish councils
• Local businesses
• Community groups
• Residents

These conversations are friendly, collaborative and rooted in shared benefit. They strengthen relationships between people who care about the same landscape.

Step 3: Research and Local Expertise

No one is expected to know everything. Nature Detectorists draw on:

• Local ecological knowledge
• Conservation organisations
• Citizen science groups
• Best‑practice guidance

This shared learning helps communities make confident, informed decisions about how to improve habitats.

Step 4: Forming Working Parties

When a project is ready, a Working Party brings people together to make it happen. This might include:

• Volunteers
• Families
• Schools
• Wildlife groups
• Parish councillors

Working Parties:

• Carry out practical improvements
• Monitor progress
• Contribute to citizen science
• Maintain sites over time

These groups build friendships, skills and a sense of shared ownership.

Step 5: Monitoring and Citizen Science

Monitoring helps communities see the impact of their efforts. Nature Detectorists might use:

• iNaturalist
• eBird
• UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme
• Local wildlife trust surveys
• Simple repeat photography

Every observation adds to a growing community dataset that shows how nature is recovering across the Isle of Ely villages.

The Bigger Picture: Community‑Powered Nature Recovery

By working together, the Isle of Ely Villages can:

• Strengthen local biodiversity
• Support pollinators and wildlife corridors
• Improve water and soil health
• Build stronger, more connected communities
• Contribute to county‑wide nature recovery plans
• Create a shared sense of pride in local landscapes

This is grassroots nature recovery at its best — local people, local knowledge, local action.

Come and Join us

Contact Peter Bates peter@ssecam.org Tel 07939567409

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This project is linked to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), published in December 2025, which sets out how nature and wildlife can be supported in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It includes the ambition to ‘double nature’ – increasing the area of rich wildlife habitats from 8%, up to the national average of 16%. It also includes other goals such as increasing the tree canopy cover and improving access to nature. 

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It is also linked with the Cambridgeshire County Council’s Nature Recovery – From the Ground Up project, where groups across the county are putting together Community Nature Recovery Plans.

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The Isle of Ely Villages Nature Recovery Project is being developed by SSECAM – Sustainable South East Cambridgeshire and Surrounding Areas focusing on Local Action Adapting to Changing Environments

SSECAM’s website is https://ssecam.org We were formerly known as East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network. But, we felt that we could not do anything about Climate Change – a global issue – but we could take local action adapting to changing environments.