The South Downs National Park is halfway to reaching its ambitious goal of transforming 13,000 hectares into wildlife habitat by 2030.
Launched exactly three years ago, the rewilding initiative has already seen the creation or enhancement of 6,082 hectares of nature-rich spaces.
The total area, equalling over 20,000 football pitches, surpasses the size of Worthing or Portsmouth.
Work on the project has included the planting of nearly 50,000 trees, the addition of 100 hectares of wildflowers, hedge planting, pond restoration and habitat improvements benefiting chalk grassland and lowland heath.
Similar agreements have safeguarded parts of the National Park territory on farms and larger estates for nature through biodiversity net-gain initiatives.
The National Park operates over 350 varied projects with external partners aimed at promoting natural recovery.
New features span wildflower meadows, hedgerows, wetlands, heathlands, woodlands and chalk grasslands.
Culminating with the ReNature Festival, a weeklong celebration of nature, themed around the four "B's" - bees, butterflies, birds and bats - all iconic species in the South Downs.
Scheduled from July 20 to July 28, many informative and enjoyable activities, walks and discussions will be available across Sussex and Hampshire.
One Garden Brighton will host the festivities' culmination on July 27, with a free family-friendly event.
The ReNature Grants, open for applications this month, offer funding opportunities for community groups, charities, schools, businesses and parish councils aiming to help nature.
Concurrently, there's a competition offering a chance to win Marwell Wildlife family tickets by sharing a picture of participants' personal contribution to nature conservation on Instagram, Facebook or X with a hashtag #ReNature2024.
Visitors to National Park centres in Midhurst and at Seven Sisters Country Park can obtain a 'Pledge and Plant' postcard filled with wildflower seeds.
Tim Slaney, chief executive (Interim) of the National Park, said: "It’s wonderful to be reaching the halfway point in this initiative and absolutely none of it would have been possible without the support of local communities, landowners, farmers, businesses, and volunteers.
"With almost 1,500 native species of plants and animals in the UK now threatened with extinction, nature needs us now more than ever. We want nature to thrive everywhere for everyone, not only for biodiversity bouncing back but also people’s health and wellbeing. National Parks can and should be the nation’s nature recovery hubs and we’ve proved that we can do it and do it well.
"We’re excited about what we can achieve for the rest of this decade and we’re looking forward to looking in more detail at the ecological impact of the work we’ve been doing, including increasing our monitoring.
"Ultimately, we want nature everywhere for everyone and our ReNature Festival offers a wonderful opportunity for people to connect with the wildlife all around us."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here