The Wonder of Wetlands
- Jeff Travis
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Downs to the Sea is an exciting £2.4 million project to restore precious wetlands across the South Downs region and raise awareness about water. Jeff Travis tells us more
Work on the ‘Downs to the Sea’ initiative began in time for World Wetlands Day this year (2 February), with a bumper action plan to restore and create a network of ‘blue spaces’ in the landscape.
Siôn McGeever, Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, said, “The South Downs region is full of incredible blue spaces – rivers, streams, ponds, coastline and a huge aquifer – but like so many parts of the UK, these water environments are under increasing threat. In many places wildlife is just surviving, rather than thriving as it should be. This project will help turn that around.
“Ultimately, we want to increase awareness of the vital role that water plays in all our lives, connecting people to water for its health and wellbeing benefits and helping to upskill local communities to beable to look after our waterways.”
Downs to the Sea will help carry out much-needed restoration work to a number of internationally designated wildlife sites, such as RSPB Pagham Harbour in West Sussex. The initiative will restore 15 ponds in the National Park to create biodiversity hotspots and support the movement of wildlife between sites, increasing resilience to a warmer and wetter climate.
The first milestone has been crossed in this £2.4 million project, with the approval of much-needed improvements to encourage more birdlife at RSPB Pulborough Brooks. Members of the National Park Authority Planning Committee voted unanimously to approve plans to install four new hydrological structures to help control water levels and ensure areas don’t dry out.
The 159-hectare site mainly consists of grazing marsh and a series of ditches, serving as part of the River Arun’s floodplain and home to species such as lapwing, nightingale, short-eared owl and the incredibly rare little whirlpool ramshorn snail.
However, the lack of hydrological controls has started to become a realissue in recent years, compounded by a more unpredictable climate.Reduced water levels across the site and compaction of ground at key locations have made some areas unsuitable habitat for wading birds. The lack of water flow has also caused the silting up of ditches and reduced water quality, affecting plants and insects, as well as thebirds. The new dams and sluices will maintain a steady water level and also ensure more ‘muddy edges’, which are essential for feeding purposes for wetland birds.
Natacha Bricks-Yonow, Project Manager for Down to the Sea, said: “This is a wonderful first step towards improving wetlands across the region and encouraging more wildlife. There’s still a lot of work ahead in terms of delivering the improvements but gaining planning permission for this particular project is a big win for us.”
A range of activities are also planned to connect people with the waterways, including volunteering to help rivers and social prescribing to tap into waters’ benefits for health and wellbeing.
It comes as wetlands are under increasing threat from climate change, water usage, pollution, flooding, drought, and fragmentation. Sometwo thirds of all freshwater species are supported by ponds and yet theUK has lost half of all its ponds since 1900. In the South Downs National Park, a survey of pond locations showed that almost 70 per cent are in poor condition, or have disappeared from the landscape, resulting in large swathes of downland where no surface water is available for wildlife.
In addition to boosting biodiversity, wetlands can be amazing carbon sinks and a natural solution to climate change. Storing around a third of the world’s carbon, they slow the flow of water, cleaning it naturally and reducing the risk of flooding downstream.
The initiative is a partnership between the South Downs National Park Authority, South Downs National Park Trust, RSPB, Brighton & Hove City Council, Western Sussex Rivers Trust, and Writing Our Legacy, and is supported by a £1.7m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For updates on the project visit:
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