#675: WONDER #2: Heacham

WONDER was launched by Jake Fiennes as part of the work of the Holkham Estate.

Image: Holkham Dunes

It's their strategy for sustainability. I've blogged about the Holkham Estate before.

I've also blogged about his book 'Land Healer', which I think is an excellent book - and should be part of a library of books for those teaching GCSE Natural History. 

The dictionary definition of wonder is ‘a feeling of amazement, admiration or awe, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar.’ 

We believe Holkham is remarkable, somewhere more than a million people visit each year to admire and enjoy. It is also a place vulnerable to the effects of climate change, associated sea level rises and risk of flooding. So, our drive to be more sustainable is a very real one. 

We need to ensure we work towards improving our practices and cherishing our environment for the benefit of future generations. It is by sustainability becoming an instinctive and natural behaviour that we will succeed. 

I think it would make sense to connect with Jake and his work as case studies of land management, habitat restoration and other related themes which are part of the proposed subject content.

I'm going to put together a case study of Holkham - I've already made a start on a StoryMap.

#674: Who owns Norfolk?

I'm going to be using Norfolk as a located example for quite a few elements of the course, including some of the habitats and flora and fauna along with other elements of the subject content. 

I've already started creating some of those. Some of them will take the form of StoryMaps.

Who owns Norfolk? is a valuable website to explore the ownership of land in the county.

Details:

Who Owns Norfolk? This project sought to provide more detailed local landownership data in Norfolk in support of Who Owns England? Particular focus was given to Norfolk's large land estates, and how these were managing their environmental and social responsibilities.

The landownership research started in 2020 and concluded in 2024. Part way through the project, due to time and resource constraints, it shifted to focusing on the West Norfolk district only. At the time of its conclusion, the project had mapped the owners of 70% of West Norfolk's land area.

From 2024 onwards, the project is seeking to map the areas of Norfolk that have been protected for nature - see Rewilding Norfolk.

#600: Spoonbill Cam

“By making the best use of technology, we are able to bring unseen nature directly into people’s homes, allowing them to witness the secret lives of some of our most iconic wetland birds. Following a wide range of species through the breeding season promises to provide truly compelling viewing.”

Jake Fiennes

Holkham Estate, and the work of Jake Fiennes (as featured in his book 'Land Healer') will be the focus for a resource that I'm planning as part of a suite of resources to support teachers when the draft specification launches.

The estate has a range of habitats and some of those have webcams to track the wildlife.

This one is a first: a spoonbill cam.

#376: WONDER - Holkham Estate

WONDER is the name given to the sustainability strategy of the Holkham Estate.

It is the result of work by Jake Fiennes and others and is kindly shared on the webpage linked to above. All country estates require careful management, and some have the extra dynamic of large numbers of visitors to manage.

The place for biodiversity depends on the decisions made by landowners and Jake has been very transparent about the way that he leaves space for nature and his book which I have a copy of: 'Land Healer' tells the full picture.

Havell, Robert, 1769-1832, A series of picturesque views of noblemen's & gentlemen's seats : with historical and descriptive accounts of each subject / , London : Published July 1, 1823 by R. Havell, Chapel Strt. Tottenham Cout Road, 1823..

Public Domain.

Source: https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/orbis:3335973

Jake Fiennes is the Director of Conservation for the Holkham Estate at the moment, and I have posted separately on the blog about his book 'Land Healer'

A history of the Parish.

You can also check out their other work on the Holkham Estate.

Education programmes for Geography

Coastal Processes and Management – discover the impact of coastal processes has on landscape at Wells and Holkham. Learn what Shoreline Management Plans are in place and at what cost. What does the future have in store?

Stiffkey River Study – access the River Stiffkey safely and conduct fieldwork techniques to discover how fluvial processes affect velocity, depth, wetted perimeter and gradient.

Sand Dune Succession – undertake practical fieldwork collecting both abiotic and biotic data of an example of Primary Succession along a transect from embryo dunes into the pine woodland. Measurements include slope gradient, soil analysis, species diversity and abundance.

Conservation Management – with nearly a million visitors a year, how do we manage Holkham National Nature Reserve? Learn how higher level stewardship and tourism fund this unique work, protecting wildlife for future generations.

Business, Leisure and Tourism – tourism now accounts for over 70% of the estate’s income. Take a look at the operational side of the business, Holkham Enterprises, which hosts 200,000 visitors to the park each year. Marketing, catering, event management, customer service and retail are all key to this diversification success.

It's important that those who are planning on teaching the new specification start to look for examples of managing the landscape like this.