Nico's Natural World

Artwork by: Nico Cordonier-Gehring

Check out my new article Protecting our Fenlands: A Short History of East Anglia Biodiversity Ravages, Resistance and Rewilding published by the Global Youth Council on Science, Law & Sustainability (GYC).

Here’s a sneak peek!

Introduction

The cultural, economic, and political history of the Fenlands, including my Cambridgeshire home in East Anglia, offer an inspiring tale of biodiversity ravages, resistance and rewildings. Across nearly 1,500 square miles of southeastern Lincolnshire, most of Cambridgeshire including parts of historic Huntingdonshire, and the westernmost parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, the Fens lie inland of the Wash. I was raised in this region where my grandfather and ancestors made their homes, and it is beautiful with wide open skies, vast misty wetlands, unique and wonderful wildlife, and distinct local communities. Local communities here hold a rich history, interwoven with indigenous religious practices and a spirit of resistance against external forces and exploitation, dating back to the days of the Gyrwas (the Fenlanders, or Fennish commoners) under King Canute. The history of Fenlands peoples and nature is a story of resistance to the destruction of biodiversity lands and livelihoods, which continues to this day through the conservation, carbon sink, and rewilding projects of local communities, youth, historians and scientists, including from the University of Cambridge. 

Read the full article for free: Protecting our Fenlands: A Short History of East Anglia Biodiversity Ravages, Resistance and Rewilding