Work has begun to transform 99,000 hectares of English countryside into ‘nature recovery’ projects.
The land, which ranges from city fringes to wetlands, will share an initial £2.4m pot from DEFRA and Natural England to create new habitats, manage land for nature and carbon storage, and increase footpaths and connect with communities. Further funding is expected from other sources and partners.
It is hoped the nature recovery schemes, which include existing nature reserves and the wider landscape, will extend across 99,200 hectares of land (245,000 acres) in total over time – equivalent in size to all 219 current national nature reserves.
Work in the projects will range from converting farmland into chalk grassland and restoring “dewponds” to managing wetlands and other land sustainably.
Environment minister Rebecca Pow said: “These five projects across England are superb examples of exciting, large-scale restoration that is critically needed to bring about a step-change in the recovery of nature in this country.”
The five projects are the 10,000 hectare Purple Horizons scheme in the West Midlands; 60,000 hectares covering the Somerset Wetlands; the 9,200 hectare Cambridge Nature Network; the 10,000 hectare Wye Valley scheme in the Peak District; and Wendling Beck in Norfolk, which covers 10,000 hectares of farmland around a river valley.
