Marking a Milestone

Weald to Waves Lead was a significant role to fill, and demanded a unique blend of experience to give the right overview on the breadth of issues that landscape recovery requires us to tackle. We are pleased to be joined by Gareth Williams, the newest addition to the team, bringing a wealth of experience to lead the corridor.

The black-veined white butterfly, with its distinctive black-veined wings and elegant flight, was once a familiar sight in the hedgerows and woodlands of Sussex.

Alongside our work monitoring vital environmental and biodiversity gains, we want to understand how nature recovery across the corridor is benefiting you. How is it making a difference in your lives, and in your communities? We want to hear your experiences.

Did you catch Alex talking about Weald to Waves at the recent Webinars for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy?

We are thrilled to announce that Molly Biddell has joined the W2W team as a key advisor on Nature Based Solutions across farms and landholdings within the corridor.

The Scrubland Superheroes project is in full swing, creating "stepping stones" of scrub habitat along the corridor. Project Officer Rachel Bicker lets us listen in on her work monitoring birdsong at one of her target sites.

Monitoring the corridor will take an army of experts and citizen scientists. Are you up for the challenge?

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.

How do we create 100-miles of nature recovery corridor, across a densely populated landscape? Our roadmap to a corridor paints a picture of how we might achieve this huge task.

Our first survey on nature in our gardens has been completed by nearly a quarter of members already. We can start to build a picture of what we have to offer wildlife and what is needed to improve connectivity.

Natural flood management as an affordable nature-based solution? Sky News visits the Adur

We are looking for a dedicated and experienced Project Lead to develop and deliver on a comprehensive strategy for the corridor, represent the project at regional and national levels, build up our partnership networks and manage our growing project team.

The past nine months have been a whirlwind of activity. Read a summary of the key milestones, new funding and a glimpse towards the exciting horizon

New habitat creation project receives Natural England funding

We are looking for communications volunteers to help us with community outreach and social media.

A journey up the Arun arm of the corridor with the Wildlife Trust.

This is your chance to be part of a pioneering project benefitting nature recovery in Sussex and beyond. Your pledges - small or large - will help establish a nationally-significant 100-mile corridor for wildlife, regenerating our local ecosystems for years to come.

In an upcoming episode of BBC Radio 4's Ramblings, Clare Balding embarks on a captivating journey through Ashdown Forest alongside a group of individuals who view this ten-square-mile open access land as a cherished national treasure.

Wakehurst, Kew's wild botanic garden in Sussex, sits at the centre of the Weald to Waves corridor. This summer, it is preparing to unveil an extraordinary outdoor art installation called Planet Wakehurst.

In May, we opened registrations for the Gardens and Greenspaces (G&GS) community, a vital strand of our citizen-led, nature recovery mission to join the dots for wildlife along this Sussex corridor. And to inspire and encourage our new network of gardeners and greenspace guardians, we are delighted to announce two very special G&GS Ambassadors.

Knepp Wildland Foundation has forged a new partnership with Outdoor & Cycle Concepts, the parent company of Cotswold Outdoors, which will raise funds for and awareness of the Weald to Waves project, as well as broader nature recovery efforts.

In a groundbreaking move to safeguard UK waterways, the River Ouse is poised to become the first English river granted legal rights. Lewes District Council has embraced the concept of recognising the rights of nature, acknowledging the crucial need to protect local rivers. This paves a potential pathway to enhancing the health of ecosystems by affording them legal protections similar to those of human beings.

Our first survey on nature in our gardens has been completed by nearly a quarter of members already. We can start to build a picture of what we have to offer wildlife and what is needed to improve connectivity.

We have been under the spotlight this winter! We’ve had national press visits from the Guardian, the Times, and Defra; all keen to depict the scale and ambition of this citizen-led recovery project.

Rivers can form a critical part of nature corridors. They are home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. The water itself, riverbank vegetation and floodplains combine to offer rich habitats and food sources for birds, mammals, fish and amphibians.

One in six birds has been lost since the 1980s and the crisis is gathering pace. Over the past five years, 80% of butterflies have declined in the UK. Half of all Britain’s remaining butterfly species are now at risk of extinction.

We are delighted to be bringing a wave of new partners this month who represent key biodiversity hotspots along the corridor and bring invaluable knowledge and influence to our community.