Working with communities to improve water quality
Our Catchment Team work with various partners across the region to enhance the land surrounding our rivers and seas helping to improve water quality.
Our Catchment Team work with various partners across the region to enhance the land surrounding our rivers and seas helping to improve water quality. By collaborating with organisations we’re implementing innovative initiatives and working to increase biodiversity. All of this helps us to protect the environment around our rivers, streams, and seas.
The story so far…
Protecting and enhancing the biodiversity around our harbours is crucial. We are working with Chichester Harbour Conservancy, West Wittering Estate, and local farmers to create habitats for local wildlife.
Nature Based Senior Solutions Officer, Jennifer said: “The Catchment Team and I are dedicated to enhancing biodiversity and ecosystems in the land around our rivers and seas. We have a range of projects underway across our priority areas including river restoration, wetlands, and creating wildlife corridors.
A few notable success stories from the past 12 months include:
- Planting 2,200 trees to create and enhance woodland across two sites.
- Providing funding to Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Project to plant 2km of Hedgerow as part of the Hedging our Future project.
- Supporting a landowner to create two ponds to store water in the landscape and boost biodiversity.
- Funding to install 1.2km of fencing to protect breeding waders from human and dog disturbance.”
Our activities in the three harbours
The Three Harbours project, launched in 2019, focuses on the harbours of Langstone, Chichester, and Pagham. All of these harbours are vulnerable to agricultural run-off, which can negatively impact the quality of bathing waters. Through collaboration we’re helping to reduce the volume of pesticides, fertilisers, and nitrates entering the ecosystem by:
- Building a £79 million pipeline to treat wastewater at Tangmere, reducing the nutrient load in the harbour.
- Upgrading our Budds Farm wastewater treatment site to improve the treatment process.
- Investing £10 million to reduce the use of storm overflows through nature-based solutions such as reed beds.
Culture Spark: Art meets nature at Medmerry
Culture Spark – is a creative initiative that combines art and nature at the RSPB Medmerry Nature Reserve. Through this programme, we’ve co-funded three commissions by local artists to celebrate the marshy wilderness of Medmerry, through sculpture and photography.
Teeming with wildlife, Medmerry offers breathtaking views of the South Downs and the coast. Reflecting the reserve’s beauty and its connection with the community, this partnership encourages visitors to appreciate the reserve’s habitats through creative expression, highlighting the importance of looking after these natural landscapes.
Culture Spark leader Caroline said: “Medmerry is an oasis for birds and wildlife, and we invited local artists to respond creatively to it’s unique landscape. The commissions explore Medmerry’s past and present, highlighting the ongoing relationship between sea and coast”.