Nature recovery
Securing a future for our 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.
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.
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 National Nature Reserve
Read our blog
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A guide to the wildlife of Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve
Situated in the east of Hampshire, Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve is a woodland of beech, ash, and yew trees.
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A guide to the wildlife of Martin Down National Nature Reserve
Martin Down National Nature Reserve is one of the largest expanses of continuous chalk downland in the UK.
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A guide to the wildlife of Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve
Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve's variety of habitats make it an ideal home for wildlife.
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A guide to the wildlife of Castle Bottom National Nature Reserve
Castle Bottom National Nature Reserve is home to one of the most important valley mires in southern England.
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A guide to the wildlife of Butser Hill National Nature Reserve
Butser Hill National Nature Reserve's chalky grassland makes an ideal home for wildlife.
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Why are hedgerows so important and what are Hampshire County Farms doing to protect and restore them?
Find out what hedgerows are, why they’re important, and what we’re doing to help.
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Biodiversity in Hampshire’s rivers
Find out more about Hampshire’s river residents.