Forming part of the Norfolk-Suffolk border, the valleys of the Little Ouse and Waveney Rivers hold the largest surviving valley fen in England. Rowena Langston outlines the origins, character and species features of the Norfolk-Suffolk fens, while exploring the associated challenges for habitat restoration and conservation.
The upper valleys of the Little Ouse and Waveney Rivers, which form the county boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk, hold one of the most important concentrations of valley headwater fens in western Europe (Figure 1; Table 1). Fens of this type not only are rare in their own right but also support many nationally scarce plants and invertebrates.