Plan to create wildlife-friendly woodland at the Iford Estate

A plan to create new wildlife-friendly woodland at the Iford Estate down the C7 from Lewes is being piloted. It will convert intensively farmed fields into a deciduous woodland as big as 24 football pitches.

More than 50 hectares of the estate are now devoted to nature restoration, thanks to support from the South Downs National Park Authority.

It is hoped the scheme will provide a home for more than 1,000 types of creature including the hazel dormouse and spotted flycatcher. Many of those involved are on the protected species register. .

The programme is funded through private investment where businesses or people can invest in a parcel of land or a 'Renature' credit. This means it will be protected for nature for the next 30 years.

The scheme at Iford is being run in partnership with Earthly to establish a new Nature Market where businesses can support the recovery of biodiversity. It was launched last May with 217 credits, worth almost £40,000 bought so far to help create new habitats.

A spokesperson for the National Park's consultancy team which leads the project said: "Since launching just over six months ago we've seen this initiative gather real momentum and it's very exciting to see. I think the interest we've had underlines the fact people see there is a biodiversity crisis and want to help.

"Nature recovery can be funded in lots of different ways and there's appetite from the private sector as well as individuals and local communities to make a difference."

Ben Taylor who runs the Iford Estate believes the scheme can offer nature recovery at scale in one of the country's most important landscapes. He likes the fact that people can locate and view their contributions to nature recovery, unlike other schemes which are less tangible.

People can get in touch with the Park Authority to buy biodiversity credits and join the journey to create a new nature haven at Iford.

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