Essex Wildlife Trust Conservation Strategy by essexwt

Conservation Strategy

Executive summary

Our goal is to see 30% of land and sea actively managed for nature’s recovery by 2030. This is fundamental to our vision of restoring a Wilder Essex.

Our Conservation Strategy provides the framework to address the biodiversity crisis and is based on the Lawton Review (2010), which identifies the rationale for more, bigger, better and joined up sites for nature.

There are three pillars to creating a climate resilient, diverse and wildlife abundant Essex:

3 Improve existing habitats for wildlife

Create more space for wildlife Connect spaces for wildlife

“The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries on the planet but if given a chance – nature is capable of extraordinary recovery. Protecting 30% of our land and sea for nature’s recovery by 2030 offers us the vision and level of ambition that is urgently needed to reverse the loss of nature, and so improve all our lives.”

Sir David Attenborough

Our Strategic Context Vision Mission

A Wilder Essex: A county rich in wildlife with people connected to nature

Protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature

Strategic Aims

30% of land and sea in Essex actively managed for nature’s recovery by 2030

1 in 4 people in Essex taking action for nature and climate by 2030

Strategic Objectives

What makes Essex special?

Turtle dove photo: Dawn Monrose

Love Essex • Love Wildlife

Essex habitats and species

Essex is a county of contrasts: largely farmland with significant urban and industrial areas, while also boasting rich and diverse habitats.

The internationally important coastline, with expanses of coastal grazing marsh, saltmarsh and mudflats, is an oasis for wetland birds. Beneath the waves, seagrass beds, oyster reefs, and subtidal sandflats provide essential habitats for marine life.

Across the county, expansive river catchments, ancient Forests, and veteran trees create vital wildlife corridors and networks. Flower-rich meadows, some of which support thousands of orchids, provide habitat for pollinators, while our unique ex-industrial and brownfield sites along The Thames are home to rare insect assemblages.

The county is a crucial refuge for priority species, including turtle dove, water vole, native oyster and heath fritillary, all of which require dedicated conservation efforts.

Essex habitats –our nature reserves

The significant areas of priority habitat on our nature reserves:

Priority habitat: Deciduous woodland

Area managed by Essex Wildlife Trust (ha): 678

Percent of county habitat total managed by Essex Wildlife Trust: 3%

Priority habitat: Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh

Area managed by Essex Wildlife Trust (ha): 677

Percent of county habitat total managed by Essex Wildlife Trust: 9%

Priority habitat: Saltmarsh

Area managed by Essex Wildlife Trust (ha): 345

Percent of county habitat total managed by Essex Wildlife Trust: 10%

Although covering less than 1% of the county, Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserves protect 7% of all priority habitat in Essex and 1,576 ha of nationally important Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Our reserves are significant refuges for wildlife and make an important contribution to nature’s recovery across Essex.

Priority habitat: Priority grassland

Area managed by Essex Wildlife Trust (ha): 105

Percent of county habitat total managed by Essex Wildlife Trust: 13%

Priority habitat: Lowland heathland

Area managed by Essex Wildlife Trust (ha): 26

Percent of county habitat total managed by Essex Wildlife Trust: 24%

Priority habitat: Reedbed

Area managed by Essex Wildlife Trust (ha): 22

Percent of county habitat total managed by Essex Wildlife Trust: 13%

Essex habitats –outside our reserves

Alongside exemplar management of our nature reserves, we contribute to the management of wildlife habitats across the county, encouraging ‘wilding’ at all scales, from urban gardens through to whole landscapes, promoting space for natural processes and nature-based solutions. Our work covers Essex’s special wildlife features from its rivers and ponds, to coastal sand and shingle, its mudflats, seagrass beds and native oyster reefs.

Harwich

Loughton

southend & rochford

Walton-on-the-naze Maldon

bishop’s stortford

Canvey Island

Clacton-on-sea

Colchester

Saffron walden

sT LAWRENCE

Thames Estuary

cOLNE eSTUARY

Essex species

We use the presence and abundance of key indicator species to monitor habitat conditions across the diverse ecosystems we manage on our reserves.

Numerous endangered and priority species thrive on our reserves, with targeted conservation management, while others benefit from general habitat restoration.

We also collaborate with partners to protect priority species across land and sea, including efforts to restore native oysters, safeguard water voles, and improve habitats for the shrill carder bee.

In urban areas, we engage the public to support species like hedgehogs and swifts through conservation campaigns and citizen science surveys.

Example priority species of conservation focus on and outside our nature reserves:

Turtle dove

Nightingale

Heath fritillary Adder

Water vole Fisher’s estuarine moth

Barbastelle bat Green-winged orchid

Hazel dormouseRinged plover

Our vision for wildlife

Becoming Nature Positive by 2030 means reversing the current decline of biodiversity so that ecosystem restoration is underway and species are increasing in abundance and fewer are threatened with extinction. This is a critical step on the way to thriving nature by 2050.

Nature Positive by 2030 - biodiversity recovery has started

Thriving nature by 2050 - biodiversity is valued, restored and widely used

Business as usual - biodiversity declines continue

By 2030, the Local Nature Recovery Strategy is in place, with resources ensuring 30% of land and sea is managed for nature’s recovery. Ecosystems are being restored, species populations are increasing, and fewer are at risk of extinction.

Our nature reserves have become models of conservation, inspiring others to adopt similar practices. Wildlife is expanding beyond reserves into newly created buffer zones and corridors, reconnecting habitats.

2050 Nature is thriving 2030 Nature in recovery

Thanks to decades of transformative changes, Essex is now rich in wildlife, with people connected to nature.

Our expertise and ecological evidence have been pivotal in expanding habitats across the county. Our larger, more connected nature reserves are widely recognised as wildlife oases, serving as models of conservation best practice.

Insect populations are rebounding, spurred by strategic rewilding efforts, they have become the catalyst for nature’s revival. Once-threatened species

Across Essex, strong partnerships drive largescale conservation efforts on both land and sea. Landowners are empowered stewards of wildlife-rich landscapes and seascapes.

Nature-based solutions and regenerative farming are widely adopted, and conservation data is being systematically gathered, shared and applied, for continuous improvement.

With 1 in 4 people in Essex taking action, nature is on the path to recovery.

are flourishing, increasing in range and abundance.

Wildlife conservation is embedded in farming practices and technological advances have reduced the land needed for agriculture, creating more space for nature

Nature conservation remains a top political priority, with our Trust’s leadership guiding county-wide decisions for wildlife.

As marine and coastal experts, we’ve restored Essex’s coastal and marine habitats, allowing them to naturally adapt to the changing climate, increasing their value for wildlife

The benefits of nature are widely recognised, enriching our lives, and we all play a role in protecting it. Nature is thriving.

Our Theory of Change

Bee orchid photo: andiz275 - stock.adobe.com, seagrass: Paul Naylor, shrill carder bee: Gabrielle Horup

Why we need to restore nature

We are facing a biodiversity crisis. Habitat loss, fragmentation, disturbance, agricultural intensification, development, and climate change are all threatening our natural world. In Essex, intense pressure on land and resources makes the situation even more critical. If we don’t act now, some losses could be irreversible by 2030. The time to turn things around is now

saltmarsh: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION,

Peter

Seagrass 50% lost in England over recent centuries

Saltmarsh 85% lost in England in recent centuries

Native

the Stour and Orwell estuaries

Grassland

How we need to restore nature

Our goal, aligned with global and national targets, is to ensure 30% of land and sea in Essex is actively managed for nature’s recovery. Research has shown this threshold is crucial for maintaining species connectivity and ecosystem health, thus combating the climate and biodiversity crises

However, creating green spaces alone is not enough. Based on the Lawton Principles, habitats must be larger, more structurally-diverse and better connected , to truly support nature’s recovery.

We must also tackle the five main threats to nature, identified in the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: habitat change and loss, over-exploitation, pollution, invasive non-native species, and climate change.

As the climate changes, new conservation approaches are vital, especially along Essex’s vulnerable coastline, which is at the forefront of these changes.

What we need to restore

We must focus our resources on where we can have the greatest impact for wildlife.

Trees and woodland

Ancient woodland, veteran trees, breeding woodland birds, invertebrate assemblages associated with deadwood and key species like heath fritillary.

Scrub and mosaic

Providing optimum conditions for turtle dove, nightingale and invertebrates.

Freshwater

Restoring rivers and ponds and improving conditions for water voles.

Marine

Preserving native oyster beds and subtidal habitats threatened by development.

Intertidal and coastal

Protecting coastal sand and shingle habitats, saltmarsh, seagrass and extensive mudflats.

Brownfield/ex-industrial

Safeguarding Thames Terrace invertebrate assemblages, shrill carder bee and orchids.

Grasslands and meadows

Coastal grazing marsh for overwintering and breeding wetland birds, heathland, species-rich meadows for orchids and early successional invertebrate assemblages.

Woodland: Andy Bartlett, pond: Nick Upton, salt marsh: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION, scrub: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION, beach: Daniele Clifford

What we need to do –on our nature reserves

Our nature reserves are the foundation for nature’s recovery, and we must manage them as models that inspire broader conservation efforts. Volunteers, with their local knowledge and dedication, will be crucial to this success.

Biodiversity audits and natural capital assessments will establish baselines for species diversity and abundance, alongside the health of

critical ecosystem components like soil and water quality. This ensures the integrity of our reserves.

We will enhance wildlife corridors by creating buffer zones and connecting key reserves.

Securing funding and developing sustainable financial models will be critical to maintaining these vital sites in perpetuity.

What we need to do –outside our nature reserves

Strengthen our conservation evidence and share knowledge to ensure effective management interventions that boost biodiversity on and beyond our reserves.

Collaborate with conservation partners, land managers, farm clusters, and fishermen to enhance and connect marine, coastal, and terrestrial habitats.

Empower Essex communities with conservation advice to make their local areas wilder.

Promote and influence the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) and support local authorities in protecting wildlife sites through policy and action.

Advocate for the establishment of a Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC) in Essex to track biodiversity and scientifically assess the impacts of the LNRS and green finance projects across the county.

Cuttlefish photo: Alexander Mustard/2020VISION

Who we need to work with

With 65 years of conservation expertise, we have the knowledge and expertise to create and manage habitats and develop nature-based solutions. We must share this knowledge with landowners, stakeholders, and decision-makers to drive large-scale nature recovery across farmland, public, and private land.

Nature Recovery Network

As a board member of Essex’s Local Nature Partnership, we will help shape the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, identifying biodiversity priorities and actions to expand and connect spaces for nature on land and sea. We will also advocate for the strengthening of the Marine Protected Area network to protect marine species from human pressures.

Farmers

With over 60% of Essex being farmland, recovery depends on farmers adopting regenerative practices, floodwater management, and habitat creation. We will collaborate with landowners to drive nature-positive activities at scale.

Partners

We will work closely with environmental charities and fellow Wildlife Trusts, sharing knowledge and collaborating on large-scale conservation projects to multiply our impact.

Decision-makers

We will engage and advise decision-makers at all levels, focusing on local councils, MPs, Defra, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, and Local Planning Authorities to ensure conservation is prioritised.

Our Pillars of Conservation

Male emperor dragonfly photo:

Our Pillars of Conservation

How we will seek to achieve nature’s recovery is based on the well-established and internationally recognised Lawton Principles of more, bigger, better and joined up.

Therefore, whether focusing on our reserves or seeking to improve conditions for wildlife across the wider county, our approach will be founded on three pillars for restoration:

1

2

3 Improve existing habitats for wildlife Create more space for wildlife Connect spaces for wildlife

Diverse and abundant wildlife in Essex’s land and sea that is resilient to a changing climate

Better planning

We are developing updated Conservation Management Plans for all reserves, driven by the latest conservation evidence and natural capital assessments.

Better use of data

We will encourage LNRS partners to adopt biodiversity audit methodology, using existing data and species assemblage tools to guide management for maximum biodiversity benefit.

Better design

We will enhance habitat diversity by creating more edges, buffers, transitions, and structural complexity, particularly in woodlands and scrub, to boost biodiversity and support climate adaptation.

1 2 Improve existing habitats for wildlife

Better dynamism

Our grazing management will make open habitats like grassland and heath more dynamic, adapting to seasonal and environmental changes.

Better control

We will promote evidence-based control of invasive species and work with authorities to reduce recreational and pollution impacts on habitats.

Better wetter

In one of the UK’s driest areas, we’ll improve water management on key wildlife sites, including re-wetting grazing marshes to increase resilience towards unpredictable rainfall.

Create more space for wildlife

We will use sustainable green finance opportunities, including Biodiversity Net Gain and Landscape Recovery Schemes, to establish new wildlife habitats through rewilding and traditional management.

We will advise farmer clusters on using less productive land for habitat creation and species reintroductions, while promoting regenerative farming and providing biodiversity monitoring support.

New wildlife habitats will be established around our reserves to create buffer zones through land acquisition, leases or long-term agreements.

We will partner with landowners and conservation groups to restore lost ponds across Essex using advanced mapping techniques.

Efforts will continue to expand seagrass meadows and develop native oyster reefs, with funding sought for Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment (BUDS) in coastal areas.

3 Connect spaces for wildlife

We will use LNRS opportunity maps to link wildlife sites and new habitat areas, guided by species dispersal data .

Partnering with farmer clusters and utilising schemes like Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship , we will create wildflower margins and riverine corridors of grassland to support pollinators and insects across the farmed landscape.

We will enhance hedgerow, scrub, and opengrown tree corridors, focusing on habitats for protected species like hazel dormice and barbastelle bats.

In marine and coastal areas, we will collaborate with partners and licensing authorities to reconnect habitats across the full tidal range and build climate-resilient coasts through techniques like saltmarsh restoration and managed realignment.

Working with the Environment Agency and landowners, we’ll improve seawall habitats to enhance connectivity for rare coastal invertebrates and plants.

We will also work to remove physical barriers to species movement, using tools like the Essex Fish Migration Roadmap.

Our guiding principles

Four guiding principles for Essex’s nature recovery

Our actions must make a significant positive difference for wildlife.

We practice adaptive management to proactively respond to environmental and climate changes.

We use data to measure and demonstrate our impact.

We collaborate with others to achieve 30 by 30 and long-term conservation goals.

Putting it into action

Heath fritillary photo: Jim Higham

Love Essex • Love Wildlife

Planning and implementation

We will implement this strategy with a five-year Restore Plan, outlining priority areas to achieve 30 by 30. This plan will be divided into detailed, costed and prescriptive annual operational plans.