Watatunga: Our Green Story

At Watatunga, eco-tourism is at the heart of everything that we do. Conservation is our key focus and as such, so is looking after our planet. Over the past year or so we have put a lot of time and effort into evaluating our operations and streamlining processes to reduce our environmental impact. We are working towards becoming an accredited Green Tourism attraction to showcase our dedication towards our commitment as a business for being as green as we possibly can. Below are a few ways that ensure Watatunga’s commitment to being green grows from strength to strength:

Conservation Grazing

We have a water buffalo herd that we use for conservation grazing as part of the wider estate. The water buffalo herd feed into several SFIs (sustainable farming incentives) and fulfil the role of maintaining a few hundred acres of wetland areas that are far too wet to farm. Keeping the buffalo on the land keeps the grass down to an ideal level and paves the way to increase the biodiversity of different species on the land. We routinely see heron’s, little egrets, red kits, buzzards, barn owls, woodpeckers & several different species of deer in those areas.

Conservation of the Biodiversity on Site

Our primary focus is to contribute towards conservation. We do this by taking part in established captive breeding programmes for endangered species across Europe – these breeding programmes are known as (EEPs) EAZA Ex Situ Programmes. We also help to spread awareness for the need to conserve these species by educating the public and inspiring people to learn more. ‘We will only conserve only what we love.’ We look after the animals and land quite differently here: in one holistic approach. We ensure that we are not worming animals to frequently as the antibiotics damage the land, so instead we opt for more alternative practices such as planting Sainfoin as a crop into the reserve so the animals can build up a natural immunity towards worm burdens.

Commitment to Maintaining Nest Boxes

Our primary focus is to contribute towards conservation. We do this by taking part in established captive breeding programmes for endangered species across Europe – these breeding programmes are known as (EEPs) EAZA Ex Situ Programmes. We also help to spread awareness for the need to conserve these species by educating the public and inspiring people to learn more. ‘We will only conserve only what we love.’ We look after the animals and land quite differently here: in one holistic approach. We ensure that we are not worming animals to frequently as the antibiotics damage the land, so instead we opt for more alternative practices such as planting Sainfoin as a crop into the reserve so the animals can build up a natural immunity towards worm burdens.

Locally Sourced Items

We ensure that we only source locally sourced produce for the café shop and we aim to do the same within the gift shop. Within the gift shop we only source locally and ethically produced materials. We even use local artists to design and draw the animal art products within our gift shop. We can proudly say that all our products within the gift shop are produced in Norfolk. We also try to avoid selling any plastic items within our gift shop and opt for wooden engraved products instead.

Taking part in Community Projects

We have recently made a new connection with ‘Friends of the Walk’ and ‘Hardings’ which are two local environmental groups in and around the Kings Lynn area. We regularly send different staff members and volunteers to assist & engage in their varying community projects.

Partnering with Local NGOs & Experts to Monitor Biodiversity

We have built several partnerships with local NGOs that specialise in protecting and surveying many of the smaller inhabitants within our nature reserve. We work with the Norfolk Record Society on Dragonflies and Damselflies. The British Trust of Ornithology on birds, The British Entomological and Natural History Society & the Norfolk Moth Society on moths, Gareth Daniels on Fungus, & The Norfolk Bat Society on Bats.

Creating the Watatunga Biodiversity Base

Perhaps one of our most exciting projects yet… We have turned an empty area into a living, breathing ‘biodiversity base’ this is an area that we will rewild and utilise for interactive educational sessions. We will use the biodiversity base for school trips to carry out educational activities such as pond sweeping, conducting pit fall traps, IDing tree species, creating bug hotels and different nest boxes etc. All the educational activities will have a strong focus on maintaining biodiversity.

Recycling & Composting

All our waste is recycled or composted where possible. All our animal waste is put onto a muck heap and is then used as a natural fertiliser as part of the wider estate and is spread onto the farm fields. We have 3 different compost bins across the site, the compost is used for planting projects within our biodiversity base.

Tree Planting

All throughout the reserve we have been working hard to re-establish new woodland areas. In 2024 we planted 160 different tree saplings, in 2025 we will plant another 420 trees. We are passionate about conserving the habitat and the land as much as we are conserving the animals. The trees also provide important forage for the animals that we look after, therefore it is even more important for us to strongly maintain adequate amounts of trees. We aim to ensure that there are varying species & staggered ages of trees across the reserve. We also create different tree plantations with protective borders to keep the deer and antelope from eating the trees whilst they are still growing.

Office Sustainability

We try to go paperless where possible – digital is always our first option. When we must use paper, we use recycled paper & we limit the amount of paper we use by ensuring that all sheets are double sided.

Eco-Friendly Products

We have biodegradable coffee lids and recyclable coffee cups, ensuring that there are no plastic items within our coffee shop. We also compost our coffee granules. We use ‘Ocean Saver’ and ‘Ecover’ cleaning products for every task across the business & clean with washable cloths, thus reducing our single item usage.

Renewable Energy

As a business we have invested in purchasing all our electric buggies that are on site, whereas previously we have rented them. This shows a longstanding commitment towards become more sustainable. We also have plans to put solar panels across the roof of our reception building and at Majors lodge so that all buggies are charged with renewable energy.

Responsible Visitor Charter

At Watatunga Wildlife Reserve, we recognise that we have an enormous responsibly towards our environment. As such, are committed to working towards as being as sustainable as possible as a company, but we would also like to ensure that your visit to us is as environmentally friendly as it possible can be. We are an ecotourism attraction and at the heart and soul of Watatunga is the thriving biodiversity of our wildlife reserve, therefore sustainability is of paramount importance to us and all of our Watatunga residents – from the oyster catchers on the lake to our giant water buffalo, the barn owls and everything in-between.