Back in March last year, the Government announced that Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was set to receive £875,602 funding support to lead an ambitious partnership to enhance, restore and create vital wildlife habitats in the Trent Valley.
Project partners include Canal & River Trust; Derbyshire Wildlife Trust; Gedling Conservation Trust, Nottingham City Council; RSPB; Severn Trent Water and Trent Rivers Trust.
The Thriving in a Wilder Trent project was set up to enhance existing habitats and create new areas of habitats to benefit a range of species from common terns to bitterns and otters across the Trent Valley.
It is one of only twenty across England to be funded through the Species Survival Fund – a partnership with Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The National Heritage Lottery Fund. Locally it will deliver work with farmers and landowners covering a 90 km stretch of the River Trent from Willington in Derbyshire to West Burton farmed land within 2.5km of the Trent and 28 kilometres of canal.
Existing priority floodplain habitats that will benefit from enhanced management include reedbed, wet woodland and hedgerows and partners will also support landowners to bring new land into positive management to enhance connectivity.
Project workstreams are planned throughout the year but Derbyshire Wildlife Trust have already started work to create a new wetland scrape to benefit species including wading birds at their Willington Wetlands Nature Reserve and the RSPB will soon be installing a new polytunnel to propagate reeds (for translocation later in the year) at Langford Lowfields Nature Reserve at Collingham.
Katie Last, Living Landscape Officer for Trent Valley at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said:
“Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is thrilled to be working with partners and landowners across the Trent Valley and surrounding areas to support nature’s recovery, restore floodplain habitats and increase priority habitats for wildlife.”
Speaking about progress with the project to date, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Project Manager Wendy Hancock, added:
“The project is gaining pace with progress being made on many of key sites. There are plans to hold several events throughout the year when we can share updates and information with the public; more details will be available soon. We are working with a team of volunteers to deliver the projects, alongside nature and the seasons.”
This project is funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
The Species Survival Fund is a partnership between Defra and The National Lottery Heritage Fund which has seen grants of up to £3 million awarded across England for habitat creation and restoration projects to run over the next two years. The fund will create and improve natural habitats, helping Defra to meet their target to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030 (known as 30by30).