‘Catastrophic wildlife decline’ outlined in West Sussex

Nearly 200 people at Horsham’s Drill Hall heard how species’ loss damages the entire local ecosystem and how barriers to movement of wildlife - such as housing estates - prevent species from connecting with other populations and finding suitable habitats elsewhere for feeding and breeding.

Sussex Wildlife Trust presented details of ‘Wilder Horsham District’ - a five-year partnership in conjunction with Horsham District Council for nature recovery and connectivity for the whole of the Horsham area.

The project aims to reverse species’ decline and habitats by working with local landowners, land managers and communities to connect isolated areas of nature together and improve habitats.

The project’s Nature Recovery Network map will also contribute to the Government’s national ambition for a UK-wide Nature Recovery Network.

The Knepp Estate at West Grinstead is at the heart of nature recovery with its world-renowned ‘re-wilding project’ spearheaded by estate owners Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell.

Knepp is now considered one of the UK’s most important biodiversity hotspots and home to some of the UK’s most endangered species, including purple emperor butterflies, turtle doves and nightingales.

As well as nature recovery, Isabella also spoke of job opportunities that rewilding had created on the estate through ecotourism, sales of ‘Wild Range’ meat, and the conversion of former agricultural buildings for office space and light industrial use, more than doubling the number of full time jobs compared to when it was a working farm.

She called for Horsham District Council to revise its draft Local Plan and to remove proposals for a new ‘mini town’ “right in the middle of the proposed nature recovery network.”

Henri Brocklebank, director of conservation at Sussex Wildlife Trust, urged people to write to new housing and communities minister Michael Gove urging him to resolve the conflict between housing and nature recovery objectives.

The meeting was chaired by local writer and actor Dan Ryan from ITV’s The Bay.