Wilder Wealden

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

A new five-year nature recovery project will help to restore and enhance wildlife habitats across Wealden, creating a bigger, better and more connected landscape for wildlife.

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.