Rewilding the Rom
The River Rom
The River Rom is a tributary of the River Thames and forms the boundary between the east London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering.
Like many of London’s rivers, the Rom has suffered in recent years. Water quality has been impacted by sewage misconnections and overflows, whilst habitats for wildlife have been damaged by dredging and straightening of the river channel.
The downstream reach of the River Rom (also known as the River Beam) flows through the eastern section of The Chase Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The Chase LNR incorporates nearly 50 hectares of meadows, ponds, marshes and woodlands and has been designated as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
Why are floodplains important?
Floodplains are one of the UK’s most neglected habitats. In their natural state, floodplains support a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic species, help to fight climate change by locking carbon in their rich wet meadow areas and protect downstream communities by holding back floodwaters.
But 90% of England’s floodplains can no longer do this because they have been disconnected from their river channels by urbanisation and artificial flood embankments. This is true of the River Rom through the Chase LRN, where the disconnected floodplain is not supporting the range of animals and plants it could otherwise provide a home for should it be allowed to safely flood.
Restoring the River Rom’s floodplain through the Chase Local Nature Reserve
In 2021, funding from the Land of the Fanns Project allowed two seasonal wetlands (known as scrapes) to be dug on the Havering Side of the River Rom. These scrapes trap water on the floodplain during times of heavy rain and act as important habitats for wetland plants, birds, and other animals.
In 2022, thanks to funding from the Kusuma Trust, the Mayor of London’s Rewild London Fund, and Essex and Suffolk Water, Thames21 has been working in partnership with The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Ranger Service to further reconnect the River Rom with its floodplain in Dagenham. To do this, we will breach a large flood embankment in three places and dig out three interconnected wetlands. In high flows, the river will flood into this newly connected area of floodplain, creating an area of seasonal wetlands, rich in wildlife including frogs, newts, dragonflies and water birds.
Work began in September 2022 and was completed in mid-October before the heavy rains came. The video shows the new wetland in all its glory. Thank you to all our partners and sponsors for making this amazing project a success.
Designs showing the wetland and floodplain reconnection work on the Barking and Dagenham side of the River Rom at The Chase LNR.
The Kusuma Trust will fund community volunteering days so that local communities can get hands-on with conservation and learn about their newly restored nature reserve, and new interpretation signboards to enable all visitors to understand this restored landscape and its wildlife. Funding from the Mayor of London will enable Barking and Dagenham to clear the invasive plant species New Zealand pigmyweed (Crassula helmsii) which has spread across the Slack Bird Sanctuary, an important area for feeding wetland birds situated within the Chase LNR.
