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Species Recovery

Swift in flight early morning sun by Paul Stevens

Swift, Swallow, Sand and House Martin Conservation

Swifts and House martins have now been red listed in the UK due to a 50% decline in their populations in the last 30 years. Learn how we can again turn our summer skies into a spectacle of these high-speed masters of the air.

Knepp Stork Nest Webcam

Peeking Into Stork Nests

Have you seen the live webcam from the White Stork Project? Tune in to see what is happening on one of the colony’s nests.

LNRS Hedgehog

Get Involved in Your Local Nature Recovery Strategy!

Have you heard about the Local Nature Recovery Strategies? Find out more about ways to get involved with planning for nature recovery across Sussex.

Swallow by Matt Phelps

Welcoming Back Our Spring Migrants

Have you seen your first swift this year? Matt Phelps updates us on the incredible migration patterns of the bird species appearing across Sussex.

Nightingale- Dean Samsudin

Scrubland Superheroes: Can You Help Create Habitat For Nightingales?

Do you manage land in the corridor? You could get involved in creating areas of scrub to help with the reappearance of Nightingales, Red-Backed Shrike and Black-Veined White butterfly.

Two Turtle Doves on a Bare Tree Branch with a Bright Blue Sky - photo by Åsa Berndtsson

The media is overflowing with staggering numbers on species and wildlife populations in decline in countries around the world – and we know that the UK is one of the worst hit. So how can we measure nature decline in Sussex?

Weald to Waves Corridor Map

Perhaps first we should ask, why is a corridor important? Traditionally,
conservation has tended to focus on restoring and protecting key areas, such as nature reserves. These core areas are vital for maintaining sustainable populations of wildlife species. However, as human land use has intensified, protected areas have become islands, isolated in the wider landscape. Gradually, species ranges become restricted to these areas, leading to declines, low genetic health, and eventually to local extinctions.

Dartford Warbler

The Dartford warbler is one of the defining species for the conservation of this important area. It’s easily overlooked, sometimes giving itself away by its scratchy song and occasional song-flight. If conditions are right, pairs can raise two, even three broods each summer. Once down to only 10 pairs in the whole of the UK, habitat protection and management, and warmer winters, now mean the UK population is in the thousands.

Green grass field under rainbow by Lauren Lopes

We started the year with a new global commitment to set aside 30% of the planet for nature by the end of this decade.