London's Bold Plan to Re-Wild Its Eastern Wetlands

London will soon be home to Europe’s largest urban wetland. By 2017, a large chunk of East London’s Upper Lea Valley will be re-wilded, its waters recolonized by reed beds and waterfowl, creating a marshy green chain leading from the built-up inner city out into open fields. By removing drainage from the rims of reservoirs and using fresh stretches of green to patch up a watercourse now truncated by brownfield and private land, the project will create a phenomenal result. By 2017, London should have an all-but-unbroken marshland valley, uniting green banks that altogether cover three times the size of New York’s Central Park. Along a river often swollen by heavy rain, the new marshlands could also help mitigate flood risk to the low-lying surrounding areas, sopping up water overflow like a big green biscuit.

What makes the project yet more remarkable is that it has largely flown under the radars of most Londoners. This could be because, compared with the impressive effect, the work to be done is humble. The location itself also remains a relatively obscure part of Britain’s capital (though that statement will rile East Londoners).