Nature recovery

Securing a future for our countryside.

Aerial view of the countryside Aerial view of the countryside

As the climate changes, the threat to habitats and wildlife increases. We’re working to make sure that our countryside is resilient, so it can adapt and thrive in the new climate.

How we're helping Hampshire's nature recover

At Hampshire County Council’s Countryside Service, we manage over 3,000 hectares of Hampshire countryside, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), five National Nature Reserves (NNR), 31 Local Nature Reserves, and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

We’re putting nature recovery at the heart of our service’s projects and plans. Nature recovery is about building resilient landscapes through natural restoration and nature-based solutions. This means we look at where healthy wildlife habitats already exist and how they can be improved, expanded, and connected.

Hampshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy

How you can help

Communities and local people are vital to helping nature recover. You can get involved in so many ways, from supporting the wildlife that visits your garden to volunteering at one of our nature reserves.

Get involved

Nature Recovery Networks

Nature Recovery Networks (NRNs) describe large areas of connected land that support nature recovery. They do this by increasing the size of key habitats in two ways:

  • by forming wildlife corridors
  • by encouraging the recovery of wider landscapes and supporting Nature-based Solutions

Local landowners and farmers are key to forming these wildlife-rich corridors and can make a significant difference if they work together.

An example of how an NRN may work in Hampshire is the  Martin Down ‘supercluster’. This supercluster has been created by a group of partners who are working together to restore declining wildlife and create habitat corridors. They are aiming to protect and enhance the iconic and threatened wildlife of the areas across farmland in and around Martin Down National Nature Reserve, near Fordingbridge.

Martin down

Martin Down National Nature Reserve

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