“Every space in Britain must be used to help wildlife”
- Sir David Attenborough

Despite terrific conservation efforts, we are still losing our wildlife and wild places at an alarming rate.  

We can reverse these declines by thinking big.  We need to take a landscape-scale approach to conservation, where wildlife habitats are bigger, better managed and more joined-up.  

We need to:

• Protect the wildest places
  These are nature reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) – our core sources of wildlife.  We need to protect them from harm, improve them through good management, and where possible increase their size.

• Make connections between them
  Smaller patches of habitat can act as ‘stepping stones’ and ‘corridors’ between bigger areas. We need to create and look after features like hedgerows, ponds, streams, small woods and meadows to provide habitat and make it easier for wildlife to move through the landscape

• Provide a bigger overall area for wildlife
  By looking after our wildest places and creating habitat between them, the overall area of wildlife-friendly land increases. We need to safeguard this area, and land management or development should be required to strengthen the network of habitats – not weaken it.

• Find space for wildlife in the wider landscape
  We need to make space for nature on farms, in parks, churchyards, retail parks, road verges, gardens and golf courses – everywhere.  

By thinking big and collaborating on a larger scale than ever before, we can improve the landscape of Sussex to the benefit of wildlife and people, both now and into the long-term future. 

Landowner advice

We offer advice on land management for wildlife across Sussex.  

We have worked with many farmers and landowners, including smallholders, traditional farms, estates, community enterprises, woodland owners, equine businesses and local authorities. 

Do you need advice on managing your land for wildlife? We can help.