A wildlife haven in the Norfolk Broads is to be given a million pound extension.
The RSPB have purchased land equivalent to 100 football pitches, just off the Broads National Park alongside Breydon Water and Berney Marshes.
They plan to transform the site into a vibrant new wetland home for vulnerable wildlife.
The project has been made possible thanks to funding of more than £970,000 made by WREN to the RSPB.
The RSPB says the new area will create additional high-quality coastal and floodplain grazing marsh within the Broads landscape, a wildlife habitat that is crucial for highly vulnerable wading birds such as lapwings and redshanks.
The new landscape will provide new areas to help birds move between sites across the Broads and support those using the estuary in the winter.
It will also become an important place for other wildlife in decline such as brown hares, water voles and a range of plants including divided sedge and sea barley.
Mark Smart, RSPB Site Manager for Berney Marshes and Breydon Water, said: ''Wildlife needs space to roam, and this new area of nature reserve will create a vital stepping stone for our wild residents to make a home in other parts of the Broads and provide a feeding ground for thousands of migrant birds looking to refuel after a long flight.'
The conservation charity's long term vision for the area includes designing and creating structures to provide public access to site, providing Great Yarmouth with a new nature reserve for local people and visitors to enjoy.
Peter Cox, Managing Director of WREN, added: 'Through the Biodiversity Action Fund we're supporting projects that will enhance, restore and revive some of the UK's most precious habitats, providing a safe haven for British nature and wildlife. The RSPB is now able to extend valuable wetland habitats in the Norfolk Broads at Berney Marshes. The work will have a really positive impact for many species of wildlife as well as the local community.'
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