Choose the wild life
Join a community to protect and restore nature
Woodland
The words ‘wood’, ‘wild’ and ‘weald’ all stem from the same source. Sussex is a relatively wooded county, with about 20% cover, including some outstanding ancient woodland areas as well as new natural woodland and plantations. These places are home to rare fungi and invertebrates, various mammals, songbirds and birds of prey.
The wetlands
Fresh water is life. There’s a growing movement to save and restore our precious waterways and wet places, from demanding better management from our water industry to rewetting wetlands and helping Beavers to return to Sussex.
Towns & Gardens
With habitat loss and rural overdevelopment causing huge threats to many species, our gardens and urban green spaces have become a lifeline for wildlife. Connectivity and collaboration at neighbourhood level are vital to making these places the best they can be for wildlife.
The Coast & Sea
With mussels, sponges, lobsters, jellyfish, dolphins and so much more, our local seas are home to a huge range of wildlife, largely unseen and often at risk from destructive fishing practices, pollution and warming waters. We demand real protection for our marine conservation areas.
Explore the ways we defend and restore nature in Sussex
Our work to protect and restore habitats, create climate-resilient landscapes, and inspire people to take action for nature, has many strands.
© Stuart ConwayAppeals
Ambitious £10-million plan to create local ‘wildlands’
Wild Sussex is our bold plan to create seven ‘wildlands’ across Sussex that will transform and expand spaces for wildlife.
On land, we’ll revitalise six of our existing nature reserves, by restoring, connecting and expanding them to create resilient ecosystems that support wildlife and local communities. And at sea, we’ll focus on doing the same for our marine environment.
But to do this we need your help – our Wild Sussex Fund aims to raise £10 million by the end of 2030, our most ambitious appeal ever.
of plants, animals, birds, insects and invertebrates are found across our nature reserves in Sussex.
are members of Sussex Wildlife Trust. That’s a powerful community for change.
of land are being restored and protected in our nature reserves across Sussex.
give their time and energy to nature in their community through projects and initiatives that we run.
What’s on
Events and courses
News & resources
Latest updates
Join the conversation
Connect with wildlife
Thousands of people share their love of wildlife in Sussex via social media. From garden visitors and community campaigns to the latest rare finds on our reserves, we bring it all together. Join us on your preferred platform (and get our weekly news by email).
Aug 30
Happy hog. Build a pond and they will come. Lovely photo by Paul Parsons of a regular garden visitor. Ponds are just fantastic for wildlife.
Aug 29
You may have seen summer warnings to wear shoes in shallow seawater due to the presence of Weever Fish. They can be quite hard to spot because they bury themselves in sand, awaiting a passing snack, but very painful if you tread on one cos of their venomous defensive spines. To treat a sting, NHS advice is to rinse the area with seawater (fresh water will aggravate the sting), using tweezers to remove any spines & submerging in hot (not boiling) water for as long as you can. If it’s not possible, cover with a hot flannel.
📸 Paul Parsons
Aug 28
Update on the suspected avian botulism outbreak at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
Our reserve team, dressed in protective clothing, have been collecting dead birds from around Castle Water. Over 200 birds (mostly ducks, swans and other water birds) were removed from the northern part of the reserve, with further surveys and collections planned for next week.
Removing dead birds promptly helps break the cycle that spreads botulism toxin through the food chain, so it`s a vital part of bringing the outbreak under control.
Samples have gone to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for testing, and we`ll share the results as soon as we know them.
Avian botulism poses very low risk to people, but dogs can become seriously ill if they eat an infected bird or drink contaminated water. Castle Water remains closed to visitors; the rest of the reserve and the Discovery Centre are open as usual.
Please help us protect the wildlife at Rye Harbour:
– Keep dogs on a lead at all times
– Don`t let dogs enter the water
– Avoid contact with the water
– Never touch sick, injured or dead animals
– Report dead birds to the DEFRA helpline: 0345 933 5577
Thank you for your continued support and co-operation.
Aug 27
Some fantastic photos of displaying Kingfishers – all taken by James Tomlinson
Aug 26
"Worth every scratch and poke" – the reward for an uncomfortable crawl on a cut crop field 🐰
📷Hares © @daryljpeters
Aug 25
Great news that the petition to hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks has already reached over 100,000 signatures 🙌
You can still add your voice at the link in our bio – let`s keep the pressure on!
📷© Richard Cobden
Aug 24
Ready to dive into Sea Fest 2026?
A one-day marine festival, created by young people for young people, celebrating ocean action! Packed with hands-on outdoor experience, inspirational talks, creativity and opportunities to explore how we can protect our marine world together.
If you`re aged 16-30, find out more and book at our Eventbrite link in our bio.
📷© Alexander Mustard/2020Vision
Aug 23
Us, flip-flap celebrating in the relief that is the RAIN 🌧️🙌
📷Young House Sparrows © Chris Speller
Aug 21
Brand new FREE events for 16-19 year olds!
🦀Rockpooling
🌳Woodland crafts
🍰PICNIC
What`s not to like? More info at our events link in our bio 📌
Aug 20
Only Kingfishers could have the audacity to projectile poop while looking directly into your soul. So chic tbh. You know what else is chic? Supporting nature conservation 💅
Give us a follow to help support wildlife across Sussex and let us know which wildlife you think is kinda chic and why! ⬇️
#wildlifeconservation #kindachic #funnywildlife #sussex #sussexwildlifetrust
Join the Sussex Wildlife Trust community
Become a member today to protect nature for tomorrow
As a member, you get access to free guided nature walks, magazines about local wildlife, discounts on courses and events, and a guide to our reserves.
Not quite ready to join but want to help?
Donate to help create a wilder future for nature in Sussex
Choose to give money to a specific cause, or to our work to manage local reserves, defend nature, and create wonderfully wild spaces on land and beneath the waves.