Volunteer Photo – Little Wild © Harriet TruemanCatchment wide nature recovery
Wilder Ouse works throughout the catchment to support nature recovery at a landscape scale, and evolved from the success of the Sussex Flow Initiative Project.
Our work focuses on:
- Mapping data on water flows, habitats and local land designations
- Land advice
- On the ground delivery, such as natural flood management
The project area
Where we work
Wilder Ouse operates across the Ouse catchment. The river rises as several tributaries in the High Weald National Landscape, flowing all the way to where the river meets the sea in Newhaven.
The Ouse is the second largest river in Sussex, connecting 1,200km of chalk streams, tributaries and main channels.
Unfortunately, over a long period of time this river system has been heavily engineered, its floodplains drained and channels straightened.
Wilder Ouse project area mapWhy nature recovery matters
The Wilder Ouse project shows the impact of collaborative working between local authorities, conservation organisations and communities, by joining up climate action and nature recovery. The seven-year report celebrates the project’s achievements, which are: benefits for wildlife, water management and people, across the Ouse catchment.
The expertise and ongoing support from Wilder Ouse has been invaluable. We can already see the positive impact of the pond and scrapes on wildlife, and the benefits are rippling out into our education and community work here at Lovebrook too!
Leaky dam creation is not only fun, but fundamental in slowing down the flow of water, meaning it lowers downstream flood risk.
What we do
Advice for land managers
We provide free site visits and advice for local landowners and community groups that are situated in the Ouse catchment area.
Land advice visit © Devan Briggs
Volunteer photo – Reedens Meadow CC Harriet TruemanWhat we do
Take action on sites
Volunteer your time to carry out hands-on outdoor tasks such as leaky dam creation, hedge planting and invasive species removal. Learn new skills and see the benefits to your local area.
Our partners
Wilder Ouse is a partnership project supported by Lewes District Council and managed by Sussex Wildlife Trust, with contributions from Wealden District Council and others.
Landowners and farmers are integral to the work of Wilder Ouse and we are fortunate to be working with many inspiring, passionate individuals across the catchment.
We also collaborate with a number of other organisations and projects to deliver the maximum impact for wildlife at a landscape scale:
- Weald to Waves: a nature corridor connecting fragmented habitats across Sussex, which the Wilder Ouse will be linking its nature recovery network into
- Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust (OART): since 2011 OART have been working with organisations, landowners, and communities to create healthy rivers for people and wildlife
- Natural England: an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. They act as the government’s advisors for the natural environment in England, aiming to help to protect and restore our natural world
- Sussex Local Nature Partnership (SxLNP): established in 2014, the SxLNP seeks to join up and facilitate strategic way to help manage the natural environment to produce multiple benefits for people, the economy, and the environment
- Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre: are the repository, custodian, manager and analyst of high-quality biodiversity, natural history, and environmental information in West and East Sussex
Get in touch
If you are based in the Wilder Ouse project area and would like to receive bespoke advice on how to maximise the benefits to nature of land that you own or manage, please get in touch using the enquiry form.
For all other enquiries about the project, please contact us by email at WilderOuse@sussexwt.org.uk.
For any general policy, wildlife, or conservation queries please contact [CHECK TEXT TO ADD HERE]
