Wilder Horsham District update

Now just over two years into the five year project, Wilder Horsham District is well on its way to delivering a Nature Recovery Network for Horsham District.

A Nature Recovery Network (NRN) is a network of wildlife-rich places to increase and restore nature, created by creating more, bigger and better habitat for wildlife, and crucially by connecting these habitats up with one another to allow wildlife to move through landscapes.

The Wilder Horsham District project is working with project partner Horsham District Council, and local landowners and community groups to develop this NRN. Here are (just a few!) recent highlights across these areas of work.

Landowner Engagement

• We are a partner in the Adur River Restoration Project. This Landscape Recovery Pilot Project which will work with farmers and land managers to explore a variety of ways to revive floodplains, increase biodiversity and improve water quality and resilience to both drought and flooding.

• So far the project has engaged with 68 landowners within Horsham District covering farmland, woodland, heathland, wetlands and watercourses. We are working with a range of other conservation partners, including the Weald to Waves Project, to help deliver habitat improvement and connectivity across the District.

• Our Nature Recovery Award provides funding for projects that will expand habitat networks. Over £39,000 has been awarded so far to support a diverse range of projects including wetland creation, heathland restoration, new wildflower meadows and swift nest boxes. You can find out more here.

• Our winter work parties have kicked off, including tasks such as pretending to be beavers by creating leaky dams to slow the flow of water, holding it back to make areas more climate and flood resilient and creating wetland habitat to boost biodiversity.

• Our amazing volunteers have given 363 hours of their time to the project so far, for a total in-kind contribution of £4101. A massive thank you to you all! If you would like to join our work parties, you can find out more here.

Horsham District Council (HDC)

• HDC’s Parks and Countryside department have developed internal guidance for creation of no-mow meadow areas. The new Grounds Maintenance contract is designed to be more flexible to allow for changes in management and has targets to phase out pesticide use within 1st term of contract.

• Parks and Countryside are also discussing how HDC land holdings can fit into the Nature Recovery Network and have identified opportunities for nature corridors around Horsham District.

• We invited HDC members to see Great Barn Farm, a site where the project’s Nature Recovery Award funded the restoration of a large pond.

Community Engagement

• We have agreed to work with Horsham District Council and the Storrington and Arun Valley Sussex Wildlife Trust Regional Group to begin to map hotspots of the invasive plant Himalayan Balsam and begin a joint effort to continue to tackle the problem.

• We met with Greening Steyning and visited sites within the settlement, advising on management and linking of green spaces to establish a Nature Recovery Network in the village.

To keep up to date with all things Wilder Horsham District, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter where we share all exciting project updates and news.