The Perry & Peatland project is exploring opportunities for nature-based solutions to manage water flow, reduce flood risk, and provide greater landscape resilience to climate change within the lowland agricultural peat landscape of the River Perry. The project is being delivered by Shropshire Wildlife Trust as part of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS), and is managed by Shropshire Council. Nature-based solutions can take many forms, including floodplain reconnection, wetland creation, sustainable or wetter land management across peat soils, and where possible, fully restoring peatland areas. Beyond flood management, these interventions have the added benefit of enhancing habitats, biodiversity, and increased carbon sequestration and storage.

The project supports farmer-led design of schemes and is working with local agricultural consultants Faulkner and Mayne Sustainable Agriculture Ltd (Kate Mayne and Sarah Faulkner) and the North Shropshire Farmers Group, to liaise directly with farming and rural businesses within the focus catchment. Farmers and landowners in north Shropshire are already joining the conversation, and are influencing the project by sharing their knowledge, insight and solutions for the design of natural flood management schemes on their land.

Since the project began, workshops and 1-2-1 consultations have been held with over 20 farming and rural businesses. Farmers have shared their local knowledge, and their historical lived experiences of drainage and flooding and how this has impacted them and their businesses. These workshops have helped to gain insight into the current use and value of peatland and peaty soils to local farm businesses, of the real-life, local repercussions of climate change , and how changes to Agri-environment funding schemes have impacted business decisions. 

Current and future project work is supporting ten farms to develop their ideas for nature-based solutions, with some proposals being taken forward for practical delivery, creating areas of new wetland, tree and hedgerow planting, and planning more sustainable management of peatland or peat soils. This work will help to understand the input and permissions which are required to quantify and implement nature-based solutions on peat and non-peat areas. We are also conducting research into green finance opportunities, including Biodiversity Net Gain and the Peatland Code to understand how these options could be accessed by farmers to support this type of project delivery. 

With project work and thorough research, the Perry and Peatlands project will have real-life local impact and an ongoing legacy in the 

Severn Valley Water Management Scheme as the partnership works together to enhance flood and drought risk resilience across lowland agricultural peat landscapes.