The Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme has supported major habitat restoration works at sites owned by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the Forestry Commission, Sussex Police and Horsham District Council.
Heathland restoration
Much of the work has centred around the restoration of heathland. Lowland heath is a priority for nature conservation because it is a rare and threatened habitat. In England, only one-sixth of the heathland present in 1800 now remains. The WFR LP Scheme has especially supported the RSPB in starting to achieve their target of removing 100ha of post-war conifer plantations from their new Broadwater Warren reserve, near Tunbridge Wells.
Pond restoration
The Weald Forest Ridge LPS is also supporting some smaller, but equally valuable, enhancements to some of the other features at Broadwater Warren. The site contains an old decoy pond which had fallen into disrepair, and this has been repaired and is already proving a haven for a wide range of native wildlife.
Sussex Wildlife Trust
The Scheme has supported important enhancements at two Sussex Wildlife Trust sites; Eridge Rocks and Old Lodge. At Eridge Rocks,invasive rhododendron has been removed from the rocks themselves, to enhance the habitat for some notable rare plants, including the Tunbridge Filmy Fern. At Old Lodge, on Ashdown Forest, the focus has been on removing invasive bracken, to encourage the growth of heathland plants such as heather.
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