It’s been an incredible year for helping wildlife in the South Downs National Park.
A milestone was reached to “renature” a huge swathe of land to fight biodiversity loss, with the National Park very nearly halfway to achieving its ambitious target.
Three years ago a goal was set to transform 13,000 hectares – or over 20,000 football pitches – into habitat for wildlife by 2030.
A total of 6,082 hectares – an area bigger than Worthing or Portsmouth – has now been created or improved to help nature thrive. The work has included planting almost 50,000 trees, adding over 100 hectares of wildflowers, planting hedges, restoring ponds, and improving rare habitats such as chalk grassland and lowland heath.
The South Downs Trust is enabling the National Park to work on more than 350 different projects with its partners around nature recovery, including new wildflower meadows, hedgerows, wetlands, heathlands, woodlands and chalk grasslands.
As we enter the National Park’s 15th birthday in 2025, the prospects for wildlife are certainly looking on the up and that’s only happened because of our generous supporters – like you!
From Field to Flowers – ReNaturing Pen Hill
Once an arable farm, Pen Hill is transforming into a flourishing landscape of chalk grassland and wildflowers. Witness the beauty of nature’s comeback and learn how ReNaturing projects like this can play a crucial role in helping wildlife and biodiversity in the South Downs.
