More of the South Downs National Park has been officially dedicated to nature restoration, adding one-third to the existing protected area.
In total, over 50 hectares of the Ilford Estate have now been designated as wildlife havens, with two groundbreaking legal agreements with the National Park Authority helping secure the project’s future.
The size of 80 football pitches, most recently the landowner has signed a Section 106 agreement with the public body, which takes a step further towards dedicated two-thirds of the overall estate to nature.
Previously the fields had been dedicated to intensive agriculture, but will now be transformed into deciduous woodland to provide a home for species such as the hazel dormouse and spotted flycatcher. Wildflower meadows are also included in the plans, with more than 1000 forms of animal and plant life potentially standing to benefit.
Funded through private investment, businesses and individuals can pay to protect parcels of land of 3metres by 3metres. These ReNature Credit areas are secured for the next 30 years, allowing time for rewilding to take hold, and can be used for mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain purposes, or as Voluntary Biodiversity Credits. To date, 217 Credits, worth around £40,000, have been bought.
‘Since launching just over six months ago, we’ve seen this initiative gather real momentum and it’s very exciting to see,’ said Nick Heasman, head of e National Park’s Consultancy Team, which leads on the project. ‘I think the amount of interest we’ve had underlines the fact that people see there is a biodiversity crisis and want to do something to help.’
The Authority is now in discussions with a number of other landowners in the South Downs area in the hope of securing hundreds more hectares of land for nature recovery through similar Section 106 legal agreements. A single Biodiversity Credit is currently priced at £170.50
‘This is not about taking away food production from the South Downs, which is a major area for arable, livestock and viticulture,’ Heasman continued. ‘Our aim is to work with landowners to support them in their aspirations to deliver high-quality, nature-friendly food production on their best farming land and devote their more marginal, less productive land to nature.’
‘This innovative new scheme offers the possibility of nature recovery at scale, in one of the most important landscapes in the country,’ added Ben Taylor, Ilford Estate manager. ‘Purchasers can be assured that with the South Downs National Park involved they are buying something worthwhile. With their unique What3Words address they can locate and view their contribution to nature recovery, unlike other schemes which are much less tangible.’
Watch the video above to understand more about the legal and administrative process.
Image: South Downs National Park
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