New Wilder Wealden partnership to reconnect habitats and support wildlife recovery across the district

Wealden District Council is partnering with Sussex Wildlife Trust to deliver Wilder Wealden, bringing together landowners, land managers, farmers, community groups and local organisations. The project will support coordinated action to help reconnect and restore habitats across the district, helping nature to thrive while delivering wider benefits for people and building resilience to climate change.

The project will focus on connecting wildlife-rich habitats across Wealden, including grasslands, wetlands, heathlands and coastal areas in new corridors, enabling species to move, adapt and flourish again, and help create more resilient landscapes that benefit both people and nature.

Wealden is home to nationally and internationally important natural habitats, but many are fragmented and under pressure as nature struggles to survive in isolated areas. Wilder Wealden will help identify opportunities to enhance, expand and reconnect these areas at a landscape scale.

Building on the success of similar landscape-scale nature recovery projects across Sussex, Wilder Wealden will support local people and organisations to act for nature, helping create a more connected and wildlife-rich Wealden.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Wealden District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, said, “Wealden’s countryside, woodlands, wetlands and green spaces are part of what makes the district such a special place to live. Wilder Wealden is about working with our communities, landowners and partners to give nature more room to recover, while creating long-term benefits for our residents, wildlife and future generations to come.”

Nic Scothern, Chief Executive of Sussex Wildlife Trust, said, “Wilder Wealden will bring people together to deliver meaningful change for wildlife. The project will be supported by a dedicated team of specialists and a rolling Nature Recovery Award, designed to help fund local action and support communities to play their part.  We are delighted that Wealden District Council recognises this project as a lasting investment in the wellbeing of its communities and the future of its natural environment.”

Further details, including how landowners, farmers and community groups can get involved, will be announced as the project progresses.

 

Notes to editors

Sussex Wildlife Trust has led and supported a number of successful landscape-scale nature recovery projects across Sussex, including Wilder Ouse, which was part funded by Wealden District Council, Wilder Horsham District, the Pevensey Levels Wetland Restoration Project, Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs, Weald to Waves and The Sussex Kelp Recovery Project.

Further information about Sussex Wildlife Trust’s projects, partnerships and nature recovery initiatives are available on its website, including Wilder Horsham District, a partnership between Sussex Wildlife Trust and Horsham District Council which works with local communities and landowners to create and connect habitats and deliver a Nature Recovery Network for Horsham District.  This project helped form the blueprint for Wilder Wealden.

• Wilder Ouse: Wilder Ouse | Sussex Wildlife Trust
• Wilder Horsham District: Wilder Horsham District | Sussex Wildlife Trust
• Sussex Kelp Recovery Project: Sussex Kelp Recovery Project
• Pevensey Levels: Reeds, Fens, Restoration and Resilience | Sussex Wildlife Trust
• Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre: Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre
• Sussex Local Wildlife Site Initiative: Sussex Local Wildlife Site Initiative

 

Photo credit and copyright: Old Lodge © Nigel Symington