Norfolk Wildlife Trust has announced it is building a new 25-year vision for wildlife and people in the South Norfolk Claylands, in partnership with communities and landowners.
The wildlife charity has plans to help wildlife and people in the area thrive, and is keen to incorporate ideas from residents, landowners and partners.
The key to reversing the alarming loss of wildlife in the area is to improve and restore the connections between remaining patches of natural habitat by creating new wildlife corridors. This could include restoring features such as ponds, hedges, meadows, and woodland to create new ‘stepping stones’ that will allow species to more easily and safely move through the countryside, improving their long-term prospects for survival. These actions also help wildlife and people build resilience against the impacts of climate change.
Helen Hebditch, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Director of Nature Recovery says: “Once, the South Norfolk Claylands’ unique landscape was a thriving, healthy ecosystem. But, over time, due to changes in land management, increased development and the impacts of climate change, sadly a great many vital habitats have disappeared. This means our wildlife is in trouble, and it’s impacting our communities too.”
East Anglia Bylines has reported on other regeneration schemes across the region, such as the Essex ‘forest chain’ project which aims to plant a 110 km tree corridor, connecting clusters of ‘orphan’ woodlands together for the benefit of wildlife. The chain will run from the north east of the county to Epping Forest, with 200,000 trees having already been planted, creating 37 kilometres of living corridors.
To the north of Essex, Natural England is helping the Cambridge Nature Network take a host of varied nature habitats in and around the city, and join them up. This ambitious project has already restored 24 nature sites, linking them together with nature-friendly farming and wildlife-rich corridors, to form a landscape of 9,200 hectares.
Just as with these two projects, Hebditch believes protecting and restoring the South Norfolk Claylands is going to take a lot of help. The Trust has plans to create an exciting shared vision to restore the important habitats found across this unique landscape. “As well as giving our wildlife much-needed help,” she adds, “creating new wild spaces will also benefit people in the area and boost the local economy.”
Norfolk Wildlife Trust is calling on you: ‘Whether you’d like cleaner rivers, more access to nature, or to create an abundance of hedges, meadows and woodlands, we would like to hear from you.’
To contribute your thoughts and ideas to the 25-year vision, you are invited to take part in a short online survey between now and 31 October or attend one of Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s free residents’ drop-in events. For more information about the survey and to book to attend an event, visit www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/WilderClaylands
Following the creation of a shared 25-year vision for the area’s wildlife and people, Norfolk Wildlife Trust will begin the journey toward realising it by launching a joint five-year plan alongside local communities and partners in 2026.
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