The Broads, located about 200 kilometres north-east of London and cover a total surface of 303 sq. km. They contain a total of seven rivers and 63 lakes, the most of them are less than 4 metres depth. Whereas the Norfolk Broads covers a surface of 160 sq. km, together with the five rivers, the 40 spacious, shallow lakes offer navigable waterways with a total length of 200 km. The landscape is affected by fens, reed and forests.
The broads are the largest protected wetland of Great Britain and offer a habitat of a wealth of wildlife, especially birds, as well as plants. Amongst the waterfowl, Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Coot (Fulica atra), Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Greylag Goose (Anser anser), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) are found. Larger bird include Grey heron (Ardea cinerea), Cormorant, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Bittern. The rare Cetti´s Warbler (Cettia cetti) breeds in the area and the only breeding colony of Common Crane (Grus grus) in Great Britain is in the Broads. Among the rare insects, the dragonfly species Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) and the butterfly species Old World Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio machaon) are found here.
The partners of the Global Nature Fund are the Broads Authority and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV). The Broads Authority in Norwich is a statutory agency responsible for planning development, conservation, navigation and public enjoyment of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads. The Broads Authority is expert in the restoration and management of wetlands.
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