Launch of the Wilder Ouse project
Sussex Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce the official launch of ‘Wilder Ouse’ – a project bringing together people across the Ouse River Catchment to help restore nature at the heart of its landscapes and livelihoods of the community.
Wilder Ouse will support local people and communities to make a meaningful contribution to tackling climate change and reversing the decline of important wildlife and natural resources.
It will focus on helping others to deliver nature-based solutions to the impacts of climate change, looking at flooding and drought, and building a resilient and healthy Nature Recovery Network at a landscape scale.
The project plans to deliver numerous benefits for people and wildlife, as well as increasing awareness of the benefits that wildlife provides – with nature-led recovery at the heart of its work. This will include creating wildlife corridors, natural habitat restoration and exploring the potential to restore keystone species such as Beavers. It will also be supporting the delivery of the Weald to Waves Initiative.
Over the next few months, Wilder Ouse Project Officer Lydia Baxter will be meeting local people with a view to working with them and leading some of our first nature recovery projects across the catchment. Lydia Baxter said, ‘I’m delighted to be leading on this exciting project and keen to see what a difference it will make for multiple community groups, landowners and others who want to create havens for wildlife at such a huge scale. I’m especially happy to be driving forward vital nature-based solutions to climate change, and to help enable and empower people to make a difference.’
This project expands on previous work carried out by the Sussex Flow Initiative. Wilder Ouse is a partnership project. Partners include the Environment Agency, the Woodland Trust and Lewes District Council.
If you would like to become involved with the project you can contact us via wilderouse@sussexwt.org.uk
https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/launch-of-the-wilder-ouse-project