Wild Life Spring 2025

Wild Life

Spring into nature

Step into a season of spectacular growth

Flourishing future

Latest land purchases boost wildlife recovery

One vision, one purpose

How collaboration is creating fresh hope

Digital copies of Wild Life magazine are also available. If you would prefer to receive a digital copy, please email membership@hiwwt.org.uk and we will update your record.

New beginnings for nature

As we enter this exciting season of renewal and growth, we would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to you – our members –for your incredible contributions to the New Forest Land Appeal.

Achieving this fundraising target has enabled us to expand our landholding in the New Forest, allowing more room for flora and fauna to flourish. This growth –along with other regional strategic land purchases – has helped us to achieve significant nature recovery milestones. We invite you to explore our recent land acquisitions and discover how

partnerships are increasing the scope and scale of this recovery, delivering positive long-term results in two special features on pages 18-25

Another site to benefit from land expansion is Coulters Dean Nature Reserve in the South Downs, which features one of the UK’s rarest habitats – chalk grassland – as well as an impressive 11 species of wild orchid. Made possible thanks to a gift left in a Will and a £50,000 donation from Southern Co-op, this fragile ecosystem of vibrant wildflowers, butterflies, and birdlife, is now a bigger and better-protected haven of biodiversity that will thrive for generations to come. Read about this natural gem on pages 8-9

On page 11, learn more about the positive effect nature has on our health as documented by an NHS intern while spending time with us, and on page 16 CEO Debbie Tann MBE explores the notion of prosperity and ‘progress’ versus the importance of nature in our ecosystems.

On the theme of essential biodiversity, we take a closer look at some of our hardest working pollinators, solitary bees, in our ‘Six Places to See’ feature on pages 26-27

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Registered charity number 201081. Company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales No. 676313. Website hiwwt.org.uk

● We manage 68 nature reserves.

● We are supported by over 29,000 members and friends, and 1,500 volunteers.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is registered with the UK Fundraising Regulator. We aim to meet the highest standards in the way we fundraise.

Cover image Leveret @ Tony Matthews

Moving from land to coast, we delve into the fascinating world of sea anemones on pages 4-5

In my new role as editor of ‘Wild Life’, I am grateful to Helen Skelton-Smith for her dedicated guardianship of the magazine, and I am committed to bringing you more inspiring news and features about all aspects of our community and conservation work as we move purposefully together towards a brighter, more sustainable future.

As I write, the Trust welcomes the government’s decision to legalise the wild release of Eurasian beavers in England. After five years of meticulous planning and local consultation, we are excited to bring closer the potential of a wild release on the Isle of Wight while ensuring the best outcome for people and nature.

We are deeply grateful for all your support as members. Thank you for making a lasting difference for wildlife and wild spaces across our two counties.

Sara Mills, Editor Email: editor@hiwwt.org.uk

You can change your contact preferences at any time by contacting Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust at:

Email membership@hiwwt.org.uk

Telephone 01489 774400

Address Beechcroft House, Vicarage Lane, Curdridge, Hampshire SO32 2DP

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Please pass on or recycle this magazine once you’ve finished with it.

Editor Sara Mills

Designer Keely Docherty-Lee

Wild Life is the membership magazine for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

WILD SEASON

4 Your wild spring

The best of this season’s nature, including mysterious sea anemones.

8 Reserves spotlight

A closer look at Coulters Dean with its rare chalk grassland and stunning spring orchids.

10 Wild news

A round-up of the latest Trust news, successes and updates.

14 Team Wilder

How people and communities are pulling together for a wilder future.

FEATURES

18 Land acquisition

How the Trust’s targeted land purchases are shaping and connecting our landscape for future generations.

22 Partnerships

The people and partners who are helping to support landscape-scale conservation and create lasting change.

REGULARS

16 A word from our CEO

A column from Debbie Tann MBE, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Chief Executive.

26 Six places to see

A highlight of the fascinating work of solitary bees and where to spot them.

28 Wildlife gardening

Advice on creating a wildlife-friendly pond from the BBC’s Justin Rowlatt.

30 My wild life

John Durnell reflects on his awardwinning impact during his 27 years at the Trust.

Photo correction In the Winter edition (p17, Our favourite staff photos) the description of Graham Dennis’s photo included red-green colouration; however, the correct name ‘red-green carpet moth’ should have been used. Additionally, while Hazel Makepeace’s photo was correctly identified in the description, the name ‘scarce bordered straw moth’ should have been highlighted entirely in bold.

SPRING SPECTACLE

Flowers of the sea

Known for their gracefully flowing tentacles and array of colours, you could be fooled into thinking that an anemone is a delicate sea creature. But these romantically named aquatic organisms are actually deadly, carnivorous, undersea beauties.

Anemones are found in most rocky intertidal shores such as Lee-on-the-Solent, Calshot, Ryde Pier, and Freshwater Bay. They cling to structures like groynes and piers, but the best place to look is under rocks or in rock pools.

Anemones are members of the phylum Cnidaria (also containing jellyfish), which prey on plankton, small fish, and crustaceans, and fire out microscopic stings like little harpoons to capture unsuspecting prey or deter predators, such as sea slugs. These soft-bodied invertebrates have tube-like bodies, with a central mouth known as the ‘oral disc’ and a ring of tentacles which surround the mouth from their jelly-like base. It is these tentacles that contain stinging cells used to stun prey. Their prey is then passed to the mouth, at the base of the mass of tentacles.

Our oceans are home to thousands of vibrant species of anemone and the Solent is a fantastically rich habitat in which to see them. The otherworldly green snakelocks, with its bright purple tentacle tips, is found on rocks and in crevices and growing on seagrass, while the territorial beadlet looks like a red blob of jelly and suckers to the rocks with its body to keep it in place until the tide goes out.

Most sea anemones are capable of changing shape dramatically, lengthening and contracting their column and tentacles using sheets of muscle to bend and twist.

Several species of small fish and invertebrates live mutually with anemones benefitting from their protection, while providing nutrients for the anemone and removing its parasites. Similarly, some anemones, like the snakelocks, have singlecelled algae living symbiotically within their tentacles where they photosynthesise to provide both food and oxygen.

They are such a treasure to find, and while not harmful to humans, anemones are triggered by touch and leave a sticky prickly sensation if they try and sting you. The Trust recommends observing their beauty rather than attempting to get too close, and, as ever in nature, be careful to leave everything as you found it. Do replace any rocks you turn over and put back any crabs or fish that might be its food.

All photography Theo Vickers, except white-striped anemone.

Beadlet (Actinia equina)

This stocky, jelly-like marine creature, commonly found on UK rocky shores, appears as a dark red blob when the tide is out, but reveals short, thick tentacles at high tide, used for stinging and catching prey like shrimp and small fish. They may also be green or orange, are highly territorial and feature bright blue stinging beads to ward off rivals.

Dahlia (Urticina felina)

Found on rocky shores, this large, colourful marine species can form dense, gardenlike carpets on seabeds up to 100m deep. With its banded tentacles, resembling a dahlia flower, it comes in diverse hues like pink, yellow, and orange, with a warty body often camouflaged by shell fragments. Feeding on fish and crustaceans, it uses stinging tentacles to immobilise prey.

Snakelocks (Anemonia viridis)

The brownish-grey variant is commonly found around the Solent on seagrass plants, on stony shores and in shallow waters. The green and purple snakelocks variant thrives in sunny spots due to a symbiotic relationship with algae that photosynthesise. A special protein can make them glow fluorescent green under ultraviolet light.

Strawberry (Actinia fragacea)

With its bright red body with small green spots, this year-round anemone resembles a strawberry hence its name. It has a ring of beads beneath their tentacles called acrorhagi which are packed full of stinging cells. It uses these beads to fight off other anemones and defend their preferred patch. This anemone thrives in coastal habitats.

Daisy (Cereus pedunculatus)

The daisy is one of the UK’s larger anemones. Its corolla of plum-to-brown tentacles look like petals on a flower and its dark, trumpet-shaped column can grow up to 12cm tall. With only its tentacles displayed, the daisy is usually found hiding deep in rock pools, or in holes or crevices, or buried in sediment anchored to a stone down to a depth of around 50m.

White-striped (Actinothoe sphyrodeta)

The white-striped anemone is a small sea anemone with alternating white and translucent grey longitudinal stripes on its 5cm tall column. Its oral disc is white or orange, with up to 140 retractable tentacles. Found from the intertidal zone to 40m deep, it attaches to rocks, kelp, or wrecks and often lives in clusters. It reproduces both sexually and asexually.

Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to help marine species thrive in our two counties. Learn more about how your membership is helping marine wildlife www.hiwwt.org.uk/ solent-seascape-project

involved

If you would like to help protect local marine life, why not join our enthusiastic team of volunteers recording and identifying marine species. For details of how to join and dates, visit: hiwwt.org.uk/intertidal-surveys

PAUL NAYLOR

Golden clusters herald spring

Appearing in early spring, hazel catkins are the male flowers of the hazel tree (corylus avellana). Derived from the Dutch word ‘katteken’ meaning kitten, the golden flowers look like fluffy kitten tails,

but in the UK we tend to associate them with lambs’ tails instead.

Each showy cluster produces 240 individual flowers packed with soft powdery pollen, and an alluring scent,

designed to attract bees and other pollinators. Its dangling flowers can also be carried by the wind, with the slightest gust able to release a cloud of microscopic pollen grains.

And the target?

A female hazel flower. These unusual flowers are so tiny, you’ll have to look very closely to see them. The scaly green buds have red delicate tendrils at the top called ‘styles’ or pollen tubes, and any wind-blown pollen grains that land on them will fertilise the flower, triggering the growth of a hazelnut. These nuts are a favourite food of squirrels, dormice and wood mice, and some small mammals will cache their finds, storing them in burrows or old birds’ nests.

URBAN FIELDCRAFT

Wild rabbit or brown hare?

Early spring is a key time for lagomorphs. It is breeding season for the elusive brown hare, which typically encourages fighting or ‘boxing’ within their grassland habitats or edges of woodland.

But how do you distinguish between rabbits and hares? The key thing to remember is the brown hare is larger than the rabbit, with longer legs and longer ears with black tips.

Females can produce three to four litters of two to four young (known as leverets) a year. If you spot brown hares ‘boxing’ it is likely you are watching a female warding off an amorous male, rather than two males fighting.

Female hazel bud unfurling.

SEE THIS

Emerging from the deep cushion of moss or fallen birch bark in woodland is the remarkable toothwort, so named because it eerily resembles a stack of teeth.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

HEAR THIS

Listen out for the cuckoo, a rare, dove-sized warbler from African shores that calls its own name in spring. Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserve is a good place to hear or see one.

Serenading skylarks

The humble skylark is often overlooked in favour of rarer avian species, but its beautiful song sets it apart from other birds. Only slightly larger than a robin, both sexes are alike with a mixture of speckled, greyish browns on the breast, a white belly, a whitish tail, small crest and trailing wing edges.

During the breeding season in spring, an early morning walk through open fields on farmland or vast heathland will likely reward you with sightings. Look for skylarks perched on fence posts, or scour the sky for its playful fluttering and vertical flights of song.

An impressive display

The quintessential song of the skylark can be heard throughout the year but is most

often detected in spring and summer. It is hard not to be impressed by the trills and whistles that have captured the imagination of poets and musicians for centuries.

Hovering effortlessly and singing from a great height before plummeting back down to the ground, skylarks’ song flights are long and complicated and can last for up to an hour. It is thought that the longer and more varied the male skylark’s song, the greater chance he has of impressing a mate. The female’s song by comparison is shorter and more muted and is more commonly heard when pairing, mating and nest building, or as a warning against predators. A good mimic, the skylark will often include the calls of other local birds to prevent being preyed on.

Orange

tip bu erfly

This is one of the most common butterflies you’re likely to see in meadows, woodland and hedgerows in early spring. If not in your garden, see them at Winnall Moors Nature Reserve.

Kestrel

A familiar sight hovering over road verges, the kestrel also loves open grassland, farmland or heathland such as Roydon Woods Nature Reserve in the New Forest.

Toadspawn

If you are lucky enough to spot toadspawn in a pond, you’ll notice long strings of black eggs, wrapped around submerged pond plants. Tiny toadlets usually start leaving the pond around May after a spell of rain.

JON HAWKINS BRUCE SHORTLAND

Discover Coulters Dean

Nestled in the rolling hills of south-east Buriton, Coulters Dean is a chalk grassland nature reserve with spectacular wildflowers and diverse wildlife that bursts into life each spring.

This small but significant reserve close to the village of Buriton has become a refuge for rare species, thanks to careful management and the dedication of volunteers.

Now, Coulters Dean is undergoing an exciting transformation, reconnecting habitats and creating a brighter future for wildlife.

Coulters Dean represents one of the UK’s rarest and most treasured habitats: chalk grassland. Known for its exceptional biodiversity, this habitat thrives here under careful management, managing scrub levels to encourage a vibrant

FIONA HAYNES

array of wildflowers to flourish. Livestock play a vital role in this delicate balance, maintaining the open grassland that supports an incredible variety of plants and insects. Thanks to a recent land acquisition at Coulters Dean (see pages 18-21), the amount of chalk grassland at the site will increase by four times, an amazing win for this fragile ecosystem.

The newly acquired area, once intensively farmed, is already showing signs of natural recovery. With careful management, including low-level sheep grazing, this land will soon become a thriving extension of Coulters Dean’s rich grassland ecosystem.

This expansion is critical for buzzards and kites, as well as for increasingly rare

butterflies (pictured) and many species of fragrant orchids. By connecting fragmented habitats, the extension will provide essential corridors for wildlife, ensuring access to food, shelter, and breeding sites. It will also allow the reserve to support a greater diversity of wildflowers, insects, and birds, enhancing its ecological richness.

A haven for wildlife

Coulters Dean’s broadleaved woodland and chalk grassland is home to a dazzling array of nationally scarce botanical species, such as the roundheaded rampion and spectacular butterfly and bee orchids. The grassland is exceptionally rich with woodland wildflowers, including several species with characteristics that suggest an

MIKE READ

Dark green fritillary

Grizzled skipper

Coulters Dean spring highlights

Cowslip These cheerful blooms carpet the reserve in spring and are a critical food source which could potentially encourage the endangered Duke of Burgundy butterfly to return to the site.

Narrow-leaved Helleborine This slender plant has white, bell-shaped flowers with a lower lip which acts as a landing pad for bees.

ancient history as wood pasture. With the reserve’s expansion, these species will benefit from newly connected habitats, offering more space to forage, breed, and move freely across the landscape. This connectivity is essential for ensuring Coulters Dean remains a haven for wildlife for generations to come. The reserve also has a fascinating ecological history. Coulters Dean, named after ‘coulter’ (a blade on early ploughs which cut vertically through the soil in front of the ploughshare) and ‘dean’ (a Saxon word for valley), was first recorded by renowned botanist Arthur Tansley in 1914 as a dynamic grassland transitioning from arable land. Since then, it has

Early purple orchid The early purple orchid is one of the first of the orchid flowers to bloom during spring and grows up to 40cm tall.

Greater butterfly-orchid Its whitishgreen flowers have spreading petals and sepals, a bit like butterfly wings.

become a living example of how speciesrich habitats can recover with careful management. Expanding the reserve will ensure this legacy of restoration continues.

As we celebrate the growth of Coulters Dean, we also celebrate the power of conservation, community, and the unwavering commitment of those who care for our wild spaces. Together, we’re not just expanding a reserve; we’re building a future where nature can thrive.

A place to discover

Coulters Dean is more than just a reserve — it’s a place of beauty, history, and discovery. This Site of Special Scientific

Interest (SSSI) is a perfect destination for members seeking a peaceful walk through rich chalk downland. In late spring, the meadow explodes with wildflowers, creating a haven for butterflies and insects. While visitors are welcome to enjoy the reserve’s stunning landscape, we ask that they tread lightly to help preserve its fragile ecosystem. Please park in the village and walk up and do note that in wet weather the chalk grassland can be slippery.

Volunteer spotlight Di Mitchell

None of this progress would be possible without the tireless work of the volunteers who care for Coulters Dean. For over 30 years, Volunteer Reserve Manager Di Mitchell has been at the heart of the reserve’s success. Her hands-on conservation work, wildlife recording, and efforts to inspire communities to protect wildlife is a powerful reminder of the vital role volunteers play in protecting our wild places. hiwwt.org.uk/coulters-dean

“I am constantly thrilled by the vast variety of things that can be found on this small piece of chalk grassland. It starts each year with a lovely display of primroses, cowslips and orchids. ese are followed by the scabious and knapweed, and some delightful small flowers such as milkwort and eye-bright - harder to see but worth ge ing down on your knees to look at!”

Get involved

For those inspired to make a difference, consider joining our team of volunteers – your time and passion could help protect special places like Coulters Dean for years to come. Visit: hiwwt.org.uk/volunteering

Cowslip

Narrow-leaved helleborine

Greater butterflyorchid

Early purple orchid

JIM HIGHAM

All the

news from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Vital repairs help restore habitat

Acoastal wetland site is in recovery after excessive flooding caused major damage to the reedbed last spring.

Following a series of repairs to the tidal flap valves at Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve, water levels have now dropped enabling damaged reedbed, fen and

Above: Trust staff and volunteers joined forces to construct wigwams, providing vital nesting support for birds like lapwings, bearded reedlings, and reed warblers - helping them thrive/survive despite the floods.

saltmarsh to re-establish and wildlife to return.

The replacement flap valves keep sea water from entering the site at high tide and allow freshwater to flow out of the site at low tides. This allows fresh water to remain on the land and reduces salinity levels, maintaining optimum conditions for wildlife and its habitat.

When the flap valves broke last spring, the reserve experienced heavy floods, exacerbated further by storm surges, high water levels and exceptionally high tides caused by climate change.

The Trust welcomes the Environment Agency’s repairs to the flap valves and looks forward to further recovery at the site. For the latest updates, please visit hiwwt.org.uk/updates-farlingtonmarshes

Tracking change

The impacted areas will be carefully monitored this spring and summer for further signs of recovery and to ensure nesting birds are returning to breed. We expect to see saltmarsh communities establish initially, with species tolerant of saline conditions. As salinity levels reduce, the saltmarsh species will be replaced, and we should see more reedbed re-establishing across the area.

Sea wall ‘failing’

Built in the 1960s, the sea wall surrounding Farlington Marshes, is now in need of serious work to remain viable. The wall acts a flood defence protecting roads, railway and property in the area. Further plans are being developed by the Environment Agency (EA) to upgrade the sea wall, which is a costly and complicated process due to increasing material costs and working conditions around tides. Together with Portsmouth City Council, the Trust continues to apply pressure on the EA to ensure repairs to the failing sea wall will be undertaken and help protect the reserve for the foreseeable future.

JOE RACKSTRAW

Exciting marine discovery

A rare mantis shrimp has been recorded on video in marine waters off the Isle of Wight.

This remarkable video, taken at low tide near Bouldnor, marks only the second recorded sighting of a mantis shrimp (Rissoides desmaresti) in the area, highlighting the unique marine biodiversity of the region, with only a few isolated sightings found across the south and west coasts of the British Isles.

A member of the public, Jean Saunders, contacted the Trust to confirm identification of the mud-covered creature, which was about four inches long, tangled in seagrass. She said: “My brother and I carefully moved it into a shallow pool, and once the mud washed

off, we got a clearer view, but we still couldn’t place it.”

This particular variety of species is a ‘spearer’, renowned for its hunting prowess, equipped with sharp, spiny claws designed to grasp and impale prey. Though small (about 10cm in length) these impressive predators can kill prey bigger than themselves, typically fish and crabs. They are hard to spot, as they spend most of their lives hidden in underground burrows.

Dr Tim Ferrero, Senior Specialist in Marine Conservation at the Trust, described the footage as the best record of a live mantis shrimp in UK waters that he has ever seen, adding: “What’s even better is that it shows this remarkable

crustacean within seagrass, a habitat vitally important for marine life, which the Trust is working tirelessly to restore.”

Visit hiwwt.org.uk/news/raremantis-shrimp-discovery-southcoast to read more and watch the video.

Nature recovery improves health and wellbeing

Advocacy and Engagement Intern Luke Doble has collaborated with us on a project to explore the impact of nature recovery on our health.

Luke, of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, spent two months with our community and engagement team reviewing nature’s role in supporting health and wellbeing. He discovered that the Trust’s nature-based initiatives not only positively impact people’s wellbeing, but also serve as ‘a motivator to get people noticing, engaging and caring for nature’.

As part of his research, Luke engaged with visitors at our reserves, as well as with businesses and schools. He found that visitors use the sites for exercise,

detoxing in nature, and relaxation, which helped alleviate their anxiety and boost their mood. In schools, he found that trips to Trust sites and initiatives like Forest and Wild Beach positively impact children’s confidence, self-esteem and mood. And in GP surgeries, he witnessed full-circle success when participants in a social healthcare intervention, delivered by our staff at Testwood Lakes, were so impressed by the results that they signed their grandchildren up to the Trust’s Forest School sessions. In businesses, when Luke shadowed corporate wellbeing days designed for organisations working in high pressure environments, he saw how our delivery not only produced positive results for nature but also opened doors for people to recognise the role of nature in their health for the first time. When shown how to care better for nature in their own green

The Trust’s Education and Engagement teams visit to Miller’s Pond Nature Reserve and Sholing Valley Study Centre with NHS intern Luke Doble, far right.

spaces, it encouraged people to want to do more for nature in their communities. And crucially, when more people engaged with nature through their workplace, he found that nature was prioritised more regularly when making business decisions.

The Trust is grateful to the NHS for Luke’s time and findings, which have given the Trust the opportunity to include more health-focused initiatives in future projects.

To read more about Luke’s review, visit hiwwt.org.uk/link-betweennature-and-health

JEAN SAUNDERS

Sorting seeds for wilder seabeds

Thirty Solent Seagrass Champion volunteers joined the marine team at the Institute of Marine Science (University of Portsmouth) to help sort the intertidal seagrass seed collected last year on the mudflats at Farlington. Together, they sorted and counted a grand total of 4,045 intertidal Zostera marina (common eelgrass) seed! This is now being stored in dark, cold, hypersaline conditions until the spring, when the next Solent seagrass restoration deployments will take place. By restoring seagrass meadows with the support of project partners Boskalis Westminster, University of Portsmouth and FatFace Foundation, as well as project supporters and amazing volunteers, we are working towards our vision of a wilder Solent for both people and wildlife.

Volunteer survey helps tackle anchoring problem

A volunteer survey aiming to support better protection for the Solent’s most important and sensitive seabed habitats has recorded a reduction of weekend

anchoring at a popular Isle of Wight bay by two thirds since this time last year.

As part of a five-year marine conservation partnership project funded by the EU LIFE programme and led by Natural England, the Trust investigated the potential impact of recreational activities on the Solent’s internationally important and protected seagrass meadows. A team of volunteers were trained to survey recreational boating and other activities at five locations on the Isle of Wight and in Langstone Harbour over two months, every summer, at weekends and midweek.

Over 600 hours of amazing volunteer effort was garnered in all weathers, which highlighted Osborne Bay as a very popular area for boats to anchor which could be affecting the seagrass meadow growing in its shallow, sheltered waters.

These results supported the installation, in spring 2024, of a Voluntary No Anchor Zone (VNAZ), trialling innovative Advanced Mooring System

(AMS) technology. Working closely with partners Natural England and the Royal Yachting Association, the staff and volunteers highlighted the importance of seagrass meadows to the recreational boating community and promoted seagrass-friendly anchoring and mooring approaches.

With anchoring over the seagrass at weekends now recorded as reduced by 60% at Osborne Bay compared with last year, we can now see that this approach has already had a significant impact. It marks an important milestone at the end of the £2.5million project, which ran until last October.

Tim Ferrero, Senior Specialist in Marine Conservation for the Trust, said: “The survey has been a great success, inspiring our volunteers, generating valuable data and directly supporting marine management measures to help protect our marine environment and create a Wilder Solent.”

Find out more: saveourseabed.co.uk

KATE

GARNHAM

Restoration partnership is a win for wildlife

Land between two nature reserves has been transformed into a critical refuge for wading birds and overwintering wildfowl, increasing the site’s resilience to the impact of rising sea-levels.

In a project initiated and funded by the Environment Agency and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, 90 hectares (222 acres) of floodplain habitat in the Lower Test Valley have been restored at Manor House Farm, providing vital support for wildlife and the community.

The unique site, located between the

Nature

and

along the

was identified by the Environment Agency as a potentially ‘enabling floodplain’ with coastal grazing to compensate for the natural loss of habitats over the next 100 years.

Managed by the Trust since 2019 with funding from the Environment Agency, Manor House Farm now plays a key role as a natural floodplain. Groups of volunteers helped reserve officers remove trees and scrub and repair fencing on

National award for trailblazing work

The Trust is proud to announce that John Durnell, Director of Nature-Based Solutions and Managing Director of Arcadian Ecology & Consulting, has been awarded the Marsh Charitable Trust Leadership and Innovation in Nature Restoration Award.

This distinguished award, presented by The Wildlife Trusts, celebrates exceptional individuals whose innovative work drives transformative conservation efforts across the UK.

John, who has worked at the Trust for more than 27 years, and his dedicated team, have helped establish the charity’s position as national leaders in nature-based solutions (NbS), creating England’s first nutrient mitigation scheme on

the Isle of Wight and in the New Forest in Hampshire. This groundbreaking programme helps offset the environmental impacts of new housing developments by creating thriving spaces for nature. Forging partnerships with Natural England, local authorities, and other stakeholders, John was recognised for leading on the project, setting new standards and helping to deliver tangible benefits for wildlife, local communities, and the broader environment.

On receiving the award, John credited his ‘incredible team and partners’, adding: “I’m proud to play a role in demonstrating how nature recovery and sustainable development can go hand in hand, paving the way for others to follow.”

site, then the newly installed sluice gates were operated for the first time, directing water onto the floodplain to create essential niches for overwintering waders, migratory wildfowl, southern damselflies, and local fish species. Over time, as saline levels increase, the floodplain will transition naturally into a coastal grazing marsh, offering a critical buffer against flooding and other climate impacts.

The Trust’s partner, the Environment Agency, contributed £2.4m, including a long-term lease of the land and towards running costs for the project. Claire Francis, the Environment Agency’s flood-risk manager for the south coast, said: “This project showcases the power of collaboration. By combining flood-risk management with habitat restoration, we’ve used our expertise to manage the effect of climate change to better protect people and wildlife.”

With the Trust now overseeing a connected 310 hectares (766 acres) from the M27 to the River Test’s mouth, this project makes a major contribution to our goal of seeing 30% of land and sea protected for nature recovery by 2030. Thank you to the volunteers for their time and invaluable work.

Trust’s Testwood Lakes

Lower Test

Reserves

Solent coast,

The sluice gates in action.

People taking action for nature across our two counties

Teacher brings Wilder School project to life

A teacher who completed the Trust’s Wilder School training to become an outdoor leader, has secured funding for her school’s outdoor learning and launched their first ever LEAF Day & Eco Fayre.

Knightwood Primary School in Chandler’s Ford became a Trust-approved ‘Wilder School’ last spring after Miss Kennard engaged in our ‘Wild Learners’ package, designed to provide teachers with training and teaching resources to inspire the next generation of nature lovers. Miss Kennard then initiated a ‘Making Space for Nature’ project, with the aim of introducing more varied wildlife habitats to the school.

Craig Whitelock, Engagement Officer at the Trust, visited the school to advise on how to achieve their goals for nature, and to meet the school’s Eco-Council (a group of environmentally aware young people from Year 3 to Year 6). They decided to plant trees at the top end of the field and create a bog garden in a waterlogged ditch next to the astroturf, to fill a huge, muddy puddle. Plants such as purple loosestrife, greater birds-foot trefoil, yellow flag iris and achillea were selected, all of which can cope with the challenging conditions and increase biodiversity.

Just look at it thriving now!

Headteacher Emma Clark, said: ‘Thanks to a combination of Miss Kennard’s passion, enthusiasm and dedication and the Trust’s excellent training and advice, we now have more wonderful wild spaces for the children to take pride in and enjoy.’

Wilder Garden Champions

Our dedicated volunteers provide free, tailored advice on wildlifefriendly gardening - both in person and over the phone - to those who request it via our website. They also a end events to engage the public, promote wildlife-friendly gardening, and help shape our charity’s strategy on this important topic.

• If you’d like expert guidance on a racting more wildlife to your garden, visit hiwwt.org.uk/ gardening-advice

Miss Kennard with her eco-warriors (Year 3 to Year 6).

Protest for shelved chalk stream recovery plan

More than 200 local councillors have signed the Trust’s open letter protesting the government’s reported abandonment of a plan to restore chalk streams.

The shelving of the previous government’s Chalk Stream Recovery Pack has sparked a united, cross-party call to action for ‘bespoke protection’ and ‘decisive and ambitious action’.

In our joint communication to Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP and Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP, we call for the government to make positive and robust changes within the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill, so that more homes can be delivered across the country without sacrificing the health of these fragile waterways.

To speak up for chalk streams, contact

your local councillor or MP. For more information about the letter and the ‘Save Our Chalk Streams’ Campaign, visit hiwwt.org.uk/rivers

Chalk Stream Champions unite

The Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is one of the Trust’s well-supported initiatives with an impressive 300 volunteers working hard to protect, enhance and celebrate Hampshire’s chalk streams.

The scheme brings together 15 organisations in pursuit of a common goal: improved health and resilience for the Test and Itchen headwaters. These globally rare chalk streams make wonderful homes for wildlife, including iconic species like the water vole, brown trout, kingfisher, and white-clawed crayfish.

In many ways, though, it is the rallying support of these 300 volunteers – our Chalk Stream Champions –who make its projects possible. With guidance, support, and training, these

passionate people have been empowered to take positive action for their local streams. It has been incredibly inspiring to join them on this conservation journey, and to be a hub through which they can launch collaborative initiatives.

Some have formally joined forces, like the members of the Itchen Invertebrates Group and the Pillhill Brook Association. Others are helping to unite neighbouring communities, like our volunteers along the Upper Test, or expand the scope of existing groups, like The Anton River Conservation Association. These collectives are now taking the lead on crucial activities like habitat management and water quality monitoring.

As Watercress and Winterbournes enters its final year, the team is increasingly focused on mobilising streamside communities. By inspiring them to become chalk stream advocates,

ank you to our corporate supporters

Cappagh Contractors

Last summer, Cappagh Contractors partnered with the Trust, to support several projects at Farlington Marshes, including habitat restoration, water control management, and access improvement. Cappagh generously

provided expertise, resources, and equipment free of charge as a gi in kind. They were delighted to work closely with the Trust, contributing to the improvement of the natural environment which benefits all who enjoy this beautiful nature reserve.

and equipping them to do so, we are building momentum for a better future. Our beautiful chalk streams are under enormous pressure from issues like pollution, water abstraction, and habitat loss – they need our help to thrive.

• Find out more: hiwwt.org.uk/ watercress-and-winterbournes

Serco Group PLC

Our newest corporate member is a provider of public services. With their national headquarters in Hook, they share a natural alignment with the Trust’s mission and actively support our important work. Employees have embraced this partnership by signing up for volunteering opportunities and activities.

LtR: Cllr Philip North, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Policy and Advocacy Officer Lorna Selby, Cllr Philip Munday, Cllr Martin Tod, Cllr Steve Pitt.

A word from our CEO

Like many other environmentalists, I was alarmed to hear the government’s recent rhetoric, suggesting that nature is the reason behind the UK’s sluggish economy, demanding that regulators tasked with protecting nature ‘tear down the barriers to growth’ in an attempt to cut red tape to grow the economy at all costs.

This contradiction not only threatens our efforts to restore and protect the natural world, but also undermines the vital role of nature, and the health of our ecosystems, as the very foundation of achieving a truly sustainable and prosperous society.

What’s more, growth and nature restoration are intertwined. Healthy ecosystems contribute to resilient communities, green jobs, and better places to live. Our Nature Positive Business Pledge demonstrates that responsible business practices can support nature and economic success simultaneously. We urge the government to adopt a similar mindset, recognising that environmental protections are not barriers, but the building blocks of longterm prosperity. By prioritising naturefriendly planning, the government can create higher-quality developments that incorporate green spaces, support biodiversity, and enhance community wellbeing. Nature-friendly, regenerative, farming reduces pollution, improves soil health and produces healthier food. Green jobs in nature restoration and renewable energy sectors can drive economic growth, whilst also addressing environmental challenges.

‘Policies that prioritise nature will leave a legacy of resilience, not ruin.’

In the face of the government’s agenda and concerning messaging around development and nature, it is more crucial than ever to protect our wild spaces and create more space for nature. As we move towards the halfway point of our Wilder 2030 strategy, we are taking

big strides towards our goal to double the size of the Trust estate. Land we have purchased will be left to breathe and recuperate, repopulate with plants, and teem once again with wildlife, feeding into our ecosystem and regenerating the land. For more information about the exciting extension to our Coulters Dean site in the South Downs see pages 8-9 and for more details on our Forest to Foreshore vision of connected landscapes in the New Forest, see pages 18-21

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing partners and donors for their time, effort and generosity in helping us reach our goals. Read on pages 22-25 how working as one brings power and strength at a time when it is most needed. Recently some of our supporters were kind enough to share with us the reasons they have included a gift in their Wills to local wildlife. Their

stories form the basis of a new video about the importance of such gifts to the Trust, and what they help to achieve for nature. Take a look: hiwwt.org.uk/legacy

This brings me to you, our members, who have consistently shown overwhelming support for protecting nature, and it is our responsibility to ensure your voices are heard. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust will not let nature — and future generations — down. I urge you to join us. To shape the future of your area, follow our guidance on responding to your Local Plan (available on our website) and speak up for nature by responding to the draft Hampshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy consultation from 28 April. As ever, thank you for your ongoing support.

Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive Debbie Tann MBE

Your wild photos

We’d love to see your work! Please send your photos to editor@hiwwt.org.uk or tag us on social media.

Photo spotlight

Taking care of her wildlife-inspired Instagram is Hampshire photographer Debbie Ellaway. Debbie is a regular visitor to our nature reserves where she captures the natural surrounds and behaviour of some of our county’s most interesting species. To see more, follow Debbie’s Instagram account @three_oaks_ nature_photography

How long have you been a wildlife photographer?

I started making time for wildlife photography once my children were all at school, but I only invested in it properly when I upgraded my camera kit with a telephoto lens.

How often do you visit our reserves? About two or three times a month. Which is your favourite nature reserve and why?

I love Farlington Marshes and Fishlake Meadows. There’s always a good mix of wildlife to see and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. How close up can you get?

I normally spend a good two to four hours on reserves. You can see plenty of wildlife with the naked eye but using binoculars or a telephoto lens allows you to feel like you are right up close to the animals.

What is the most rewarding type of wildlife moment to capture?

I’ve been lucky to experience some truly amazing wildlife moments, such as seeing swallows feeding their fledglings with insects (that I had watched them catch along the marshlands).

Is there a moment when you know you’ve got the ‘one’ and how does it feel?

Wildlife and weather are unpredictable, making it difficult to plan and compose a shot, but there’s no better feeling than when you finally click the shutter on an image that you’ve visualised for some time. I’d say the perfect shot for me is having the animal’s eyes looking toward the camera and in focus.

Taken by Gavin Branch, Trust volunteer and keen photographer

Gavin’s stunning short-eared owl was a test of patience at Farlington Marshes. With its intense yellow eyes as the point of focus of the frame, he said capturing the right moment is about ‘paying attention’.

Hide and seek

Can you spot this beautiful brimstone butterfly hiding among the bluebells?

Thank you to Carmen Perry, Principal Ecologist at the Trust, for sharing this superbly camouflaged creature captured at a monitoring survey at the Biddenfield Estate near Wickham.

WORDS IAN WADLEY Director of Marketing & Fundraising

Ian leads the Trust’s fundraising, membership, marketing and communications functions. He joined the Trust almost two years ago because he was inspired by the opportunity to work with a highly talented team, striving to achieve a vital mission.

e sky is the limit

In 2020, the Trust noted that a step change was required. To bend the curve towards nature’s recovery, we set an ambitious target – to grow the size of the Trust estate and acquire 1,000 hectares by 2030. Here’s how we are soaring towards that goal, restoring land at scale and reconnecting nature.

While it may be 15 years since Professor Sir John Lawton’s ‘Making Space for Nature’ review, his words seem more salient than ever. The phrase ‘more, bigger, better and joined’ has been repeated countless times in the intervening years but it carries increasing resonance today. As the government continues its drive for development and growth, it has never been more important to ensure that land is protected for nature’s recovery. The time really is now

This year marks the midway point of the Trust’s Wilder 2030 strategy. While recognising the crucial role that our

existing reserves play in providing sanctuary for fragile species amid an increasingly hostile external environment, Wilder 2030 laid out our plans to do more. To go further. Faster. It remains imperative for the Trust to deliver landscape-scale nature recovery and we have made great strides towards those bold targets, with fantastic support from members, partners, donors, volunteers and the wider public. At the end of the last financial year, the Trust was managing 4,896 hectares (12,098 acres) for wildlife. And in recent months, the urgency with which we must act to protect and restore land across both

counties has been reflected by a raft of land acquisitions.

Member support secures vital new site

In the summer edition of Wild Life, we asked members to imagine a network of protected sites in the New Forest, where nature can be restored and wildlife is able to flourish. Thanks to your overwhelming support of that fundraising appeal, this aspiration moved closer to becoming reality with the purchase of a new site to extend Lymington Reedbeds Nature Reserve.

This will form a key link in the chain of

You did it!

Thanks to the amazing 925 donors – the vast majority of whom were members – who gave so generously to our summer land purchase appeal. This enabled the Trust to secure the new site to extend Lymington Reedbeds Nature Reserve and begin managing the land for wildlife.

Huge thanks to all the members who kindly donated, and the many others who have supported the Trust’s ambitious, long-term land acquisition strategy for many years.

our Forest to Foreshore plan – a vision to create a contiguous corridor for wildlife, from the magnificent Roydon Woods Nature Reserve to the wonderful wetlands of the Lymington and Keyhaven coast.

The newly acquired 11-hectare (28-acres) hotbed for wildlife boasts high quality fen, wetland and wet woodland habitat, and has the Lymington River running through it. It is home to an array of species including otter, sea trout, North Atlantic eel, water vole, and birds such as white-tailed eagle, kingfisher, reed bunting, reed warbler and Cetti’s warbler are frequent visitors.

Left: A little egret takes flight at dawn over Keyhaven Marshes.

The Trust places great emphasis on the importance of connectivity – nature connectivity by joining a network of protected sites, and people’s connection with wildlife and their own commitment to the natural world. This land appeal certainly struck a sweet spot in both senses. As one supporter put it: “I am delighted to contribute to this pioneering initiative which paves the way to vital ecological habitat regeneration on our local patch.”

Continuing connections in the Eastern Yar Valley

We only need to cast an eye across the Solent to know that this approach works. Through a number of strategic acquisitions, the Trust has put together an incredibly important patchwork of wetland habitats in the Eastern Yar Valley, Isle of Wight.

Over the past 12 years, with the support of partners, members, major donors and Gifts in Wills, and through working with other landowners, this increasing expanse is now being effectively managed for nature’s recovery. This has helped species such as dragonfly and damselfly to thrive, birds such as marsh harrier, kingfisher and lapwing have benefited greatly, and 2020 heralded the return of otter to the area.

White-tailed eagle have been spotted at our Lymington Reedbeds Nature Reserve.

JOHN COMBES

CHRIS FAIRHEAD

The momentum has continued with two further land purchases in the Eastern Yar – at Chiddles Moor and Morton Marsh. Approximately 5 hectares (12 acres) in size and comprising floodplain meadows, reed, fen, ditches, willow/alder carr woodland and semi-improved pasture, Chiddles Moor borders the Trust’s reserve at Lower Knighton Moor and, as such, is in a key location where the Trust has a strong reputation for landscape-scale habitat restoration. At 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres), the Morton Marsh extension has existing scrub habitats which offer important locations for many wetland birds including Cetti’s, reed and sedge warbler, reed bunting and wildfowl. We have seen many wildlife successes on the existing Morton Marsh reserve so there is a good opportunity to manage the new site to achieve significant conservation gains for key species, such as water vole.

Below: The Trust moved a step closer to realising its ambitious Forest to Foreshore vision (illustrated below) with the land purchase in the Lymington valley.

Extended sites for the South Downs

With beautiful and vibrant wildflowers and up to 11 species of wild orchid, Coulters Dean Nature Reserve (featured on pages 8-9) is a spectacular sight during spring and summer. With the support of dedicated volunteers, this small woodland and chalk grassland site has become a hugely valuable haven for a number of scarce butterflies and plants. Now, thanks to an acquisition of around 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres) of adjacent land, the site will be able to support even more precious wildlife.

Did you know?

The scarce chaser dragonfly was under threat but is now increasing its range thanks to the rich tapestry of nature at Newchurch Moors - a Site of National Importance within the Eastern Yar complex of wetland reserves.

“I have worked at the Trust for nearly 28 years, and achieving this extension has been a long-held ambition for many of us,” said John Durnell, Director of Nature-Based Solutions. “It’s a proper bucket list item, and this is fantastic news for local wildlife.”

The Trust also utilised funds secured through nature-based solutions to buy land east of Winchester, adjacent to Deacon Hill Nature Reserve, to form part of a network of sites in the South Downs Gateway. The new land supports many

Reed bunting

Isle of Wight

of our chalk grassland butterfly species including grizzled skipper and dingy skipper, presenting an opportunity to restore nature next door to an existing reserve.

Celebrate successes – but the clock is ticking

Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: “The purchases secured during the past 12 months would not be possible without the support of very generous members and supporters, especially those who donated in huge numbers to our summer appeal. Thank you so much.

“All of our land acquisitions are strategic and part of our visions for each area of the two counties. By uniting land and sea, driving community-led action, and working alongside partner organisations, we are creating vital wildlife corridors, and driving nature’s recovery at landscape and seascape scale.

“We now enter 2025, and the second half of the Trust’s Wilder 2030 strategy, with renewed vigour. But as important as it is to celebrate successes along the way, we must remain mindful there is still much more space for nature needed, and much more work to do. The clock is ticking but by establishing these linked wild places, we will benefit nature, people and communities, bringing us closer to achieving the wilder future we all want and need.”

The story behind Coulters Dean extension

Purchasing land to extend Coulters Dean Nature Reserve had long been an aspiration for the Trust and its supporters Miss Heather Monie and Miss Shirley ‘Bunny’ Bull who lived in the South Downs National Park and wanted to see the landscape protected. While this was not able to be achieved during their lifetimes, their ambition became a reality earlier this year when a gift in their Wills helped the Trust to secure the land for local wildlife.

Incredible individuals who choose to leave a gift in their Will ensure key sites can be protected and managed for nature’s recovery. For further information on leaving a gift in your Will, email steph.watson@hiwwt.org.uk or visit www.hiwwt.org.uk/leave-gift-in-will

Corporate support for land purchases

Corporate partners Southern Co-op donated £100,000 to support the extensions of the Lymington Reedbeds and Coulters Dean nature reserves. Southern Co-op have supported the Trust for the past 15 years and this latest major gift came as part of the company’s 150-year anniversary celebrations in 2023/24, and in addition to existing funding of the Trust’s Wilder Communities programme on the Isle of Wight. Trust CEO Debbie Tann MBE said: “We’re hugely grateful for our brilliant partnership with Southern Co-op and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for being fantastic supporters of the Trust. Corporate partners and members have a major role to play in nature’s recovery and Southern Co-op set a great example for others to follow.” To discuss how your company could partner with the Trust, email luke. maundrell@hiwwt.org.uk or visit www.hiwwt.org.uk/ wildlife-supporters

Pictured at Coulters Dean: Nick Smith, Central Services Director at Southern Co-op and Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

TOM MARSHALL

The Trust’s new land at Lymington Reedbeds is thought to be the last remaining stronghold for water vole in the lower Lymington Valley.

Heather and Bunny taking the light for a bog orchid (New Forest) in 1972.

e power of partnerships

From north Hampshire to the New Forest and the Solent’s shores to the Isle of Wight, partnerships are driving conservation across our two counties. These collaborations restore habitats and protect wildlife while inspiring innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

WORDS KATE GARNHAM Senior Communications Officer

Kate is passionate about people and nature, and her mission is to spread the word that working collectively helps restore nature at scale.

As we reach the halfway point of our Wilder 2030 strategy, we reflect on the collective efforts and partnerships formed across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which are creating a thriving, interconnected landscape for both wildlife and people. Without the support and expertise of our partners, we would not be able to achieve all that we do. This feature shines a light on some of our amazing partnerships.

Other Charities

Halting decline with Species Survival Fund project

In the New Forest, one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the UK, the Species Survival Fund Project exemplifies the power of collaboration.

Partner organisations (including Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust, New Forest Commoners Defence Association and Wild New Forest) and landowners are working together to enhance 250 hectares (618 acres) of land for nature across 25 sites.

The project focuses on reversing species decline as well as restoring and improving critical habitats to help charismatic species such as pine martin, great crested newt, pollinating insects and reptiles such as adder and smooth snake. By pooling expertise and resources, the project not only safeguards biodiversity but also contributes to the New Forest’s resilience in the face of climate change.

“The success of the Species Survival Fund bid offers a fantastic opportunity to improve habitats and to engage more people in nature conservation in the New Forest. Our collaborative efforts will help to ensure the ecological integrity of unique ecosystems in one of England’s most iconic natural areas for generations to come.”

Dr Tony Gent, CEO of ARC

Pine marten

Ministry of Defence (MOD)

Supporting biodiversity on training sites

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has long collaborated with the Trust to manage conservation on over 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of training sites across northeast and east Hampshire. These sites, including Woolmer Forest and Longmoor, are home to all British species of reptiles and amphibians, as well as significant stretches of lowland heath.

Through careful land management, the Trust ensures that military training activities coexist with habitat preservation. Woolmer Forest’s heathland is one of the only sites within the UK to support all British reptiles and amphibians including the natterjack toad, while Longmoor’s expansive heath is a vital refuge for ground-nesting birds such as Dartford warbler and nightjar. This partnership underscores how conservation and land use is mutually beneficial.

Longmoor

Shetland cow grazing in bell heather at Longmoor

Business

Swanwick Lakes and NATS: A legacy of conservation

Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve’s success story is intertwined with a remarkable 31-year partnership between the Trust and NATS, the UK’s leading air traffic management company.

In partnership with the Trust, NATS created and continues to support the 35 hectare (86-acre) nature reserve. With four scenic lakes, woodland and grassland, the former brick quarry sits alongside NATS’ Swanwick air traffic control operational centre. The agreement for the reserve was made when planning permission was granted to build the operations centre. The site has been transformed into a sanctuary for wildlife and is a treasured community space.

Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve

“Working on site at NATS Swanwick can be very intense, and having such a beautiful nature reserve just a few metres outside the gates is a real treat. Being able to relax in nature gives me a chance to unwind during the workday and allows renewed focus when returning to the site; it’s definitely one of the biggest perks of working at Swanwick!”

Joe Cuthbert, air traffic management procedures expert

The former claypits are now the lakes and a rich habitat thrives with native trees, wildflowers and rich meadows supporting local wildlife such as kingfishers, white admiral, and orchids.

Beyond habitat restoration, this partnership emphasises community engagement. Swanwick Lakes offers a venue for environmental education and recreational activities, fostering a connection between people and nature. Together, the Trust and NATS demonstrate how corporate partnerships can have a lasting environmental impact. Dave Curtis, Safety & Sustainability Director at NATS said:

“It’s incredibly exciting to continue our collaboration with the Trust as we work towards the same shared goals for the next 30 years; inspiring conservation and the protection of wildlife, and to make the most of this wonderful asset, to be shared with and enjoyed by all.”

Private Landowner

Kingwell: Innovating with Natural Capital

In the New Forest, a new initiative showcases a forwardthinking approach to conservation with a Natural Capital Scheme at Keyhaven. Kingwell has partnered with the Trust, New Forest District Council and the New Forest National Park Authority, to deliver the area’s first Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and Nitrate Mitigation scheme. This ambitious project will restore a 245-hectare (605acre) farm at Keyhaven (next to Keyhaven Marshes Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve) and will address both biodiversity and water quality challenges.

The scheme will also create extensive areas of coastal grassland that will support coastal birds as well as areas of species rich grassland, wildflower meadows, scrub and hedgerows which will aid our rapidly declining insect populations and farmland birds.

As a model for integrating ecological solutions into development, this project has the potential to represent a blueprint for sustainable land management in the region.

Ed Harden, Natural Capital adviser to Kingwell, adds: “Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust have always been a key part of this project. Their long-term involvement provides the highest possible integrity for how units and credits will be created and managed over the course of each scheme, ensuring the realisation of other co-benefits on site, such as projects for specific species like brent geese and monitoring species recovery through voluntary conservation projects.”

To find out more about this scheme, visit: hiwwt.org.uk/ news/BNG-and-NitrateMitigation-scheme-inNew-Forest

Common tern hovering over Keyhaven

JOHN WINDUST LINDA

Government Agency

Restoring the floodplain at Manor House Farm

Manor House Farm in the Lower Test Valley is a shining example of habitat restoration through partnership. The Trust and the Environment Agency (EA) have transformed 90 hectares (222 acres) of floodplain into a haven for wildlife and a natural buffer against flooding. The project, part of the EA’s Regional Habitat Creation Scheme, has reintroduced seasonal flooding during the winter, creating essential niches for wading birds, overwintering wildfowl, and migratory fish.

With the Trust overseeing a connected 303 hectares (750 acres) from the M27 to the River Test’s mouth, this project embodies the Trust’s goal of managing 30% of land and sea for nature recovery by 2030. Visit page 13 of our news section to find out more about this wildlife-rich corridor and climate-adaptive ecosystem created through collaboration.

L-R: Simon Moody, Area Director Solent and South Downs at Environment Agency, Debbie Tann MBE, CEO at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Ben Pickup, Reserves Officer Lower Test Valley.

Charitable Trust Local Council

Preserving King’s Quay with the James Tu ie Charitable Trust

On the Isle of Wight, King’s Quay (formerly known as Palmers Farm) represents a rare and precious natural habitat. Thanks to the purchase by the James Tuttiett Charitable Trust, this unspoiled inlet will now be protected in perpetuity as a sanctuary site nature reserve and in collaboration with the Trust there are plans to strengthen and restore the natural habitats on site. It is unique in that it’s one of the very few undeveloped estuarian habitats on the Island. Spanning ancient woodlands, reedbeds, salt marshes, and mudflats, the site supports an array of wildlife, from migratory birds to early purple orchids.

Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and RAMSAR site (wetland of international significance), King’s Quay holds both ecological and historical significance. This collaboration ensures its rich biodiversity will be safeguarded for generations.

“King’s Quay is a truly special place, and we are honoured to be playing a role in preserving its unique natural beauty and ecological importance. By partnering with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, we can ensure this vital habitat thrives for many generations to come, providing a sanctuary for wildlife and a legacy of conservation.”

James Tuttiett

Stubbington: Safeguarding coastal ecosystems

Adjacent to Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, the project at Stubbington is transforming 24 hectares (60 acres) of arable land into species-rich grassland. This partnership between the Trust and Fareham Borough Council is part of a Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality scheme, aimed at reducing pollution and expanding habitats for coastal birds such as brent geese, lapwing and curlew.

With a 130-year lease ensuring long-term conservation, the project not only enhances biodiversity but also provides critical protection for the Titchfield Haven reserve. By creating a buffer against agricultural runoff, this initiative secures a healthier environment for both wildlife and people.

Below: Curlew in the reed marshes.

To read more about the collaborative e orts between the Trust and other organisations such as councils, businesses and major donors who each create a brighter future for wildlife and people, visit hiwwt.org.uk/our-work

JAMES WEST

solitary bees 6 places to see

When thinking of bees, you might imagine hives humming with the sound of thousands of bees all hard at work together, but some bees prefer their own company and live a solitary life.

At the first sign of spring, solitary bees take to the wing to find food. While they do not produce honey, they are highly efficient at pollinating early blooming flowers or fruit trees and crops like oil-seed rape. They collect pollen by brushing it onto their hairy back legs, which is more effective than using saliva to stick the pollen to themselves like honeybees do. In fact, a single red mason bee can do the work of 120 worker honeybees.

Varying in size and appearance, roughly 70% of solitary bees live in underground burrows or sandy banks, using leaf pieces, dead wood, and hollow plant stems to build their nests. The female uses her body to excavate a chamber in the ground, adding moistened pollen to the chamber where she lays her egg. She then seals off that section of the nest before moving on to the next chamber. Although most species nest solitarily, you sometimes find clusters of mining bee nests, or ones with distinctive turrets over them. Some solitary bees nest above ground in old beetle holes, often sealing them with a saliva-like substance, mud, chewed leaves, resin or sections of leaves, cut with their jaws. Others choose to nest in empty snail shells, camouflaging the shell to hide it from predators.

JON HAWKINS

Red mason bee

Our nectar-rich nature reserves provide much-needed refuge, food and rest for solitary bees. Here are six sites to see them:

1 Testwood Lakes Nature Reserve

Early mining bee

The sandy verges of the rolled gravel paths around these scenic lakes make wonderful nesting areas for solitary mining bees to burrow. Early mining bees are the first of the season to be seen. They love sunny, sparse and barely vegetated ground with access to bluebells and yellow pimpernels in spring and fox gloves later in the season.

Where: SO40 3WX

2 Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve

Grey-backed mining bee

This site features a range of willow, which produce a plentiful supply of pollen throughout the spring and summer –perfect for salix specialists such as the rare grey-backed mining bee to forage. The sandy banks scattered around this former quarry also make it an ideal habitat for mining bees, such as the ashy mining bee, which burrows 10-20cms deep in the sandy soil, leaving a little heap of soil piled around the burrow entrance, like a miniature volcano.

Where: BN24 3PJ

3 Pamber Forest and Upper Inhams

Copse Nature Reserve Leafcu er bee

From late spring to late summer, leafcutter bees are hard at work making their nests from leaves and plants. They particularly like naturally occurring tunnels such as a hollow plant stem, or a piece of rotten wood or dryish soil, and their distinctive circular holes in the trees’ leaves are a giveaway as to their whereabouts. With 200 hectares (494 acres) of special ancient woodland at Pamber Forest, there is a good chance of spotting them.

Where: RG26 3EQ

A furry bee with a dense fox-coloured coat

Identifiable by white hairs on their dark back legs, grey bodies, and no dark thorax band.

4 Barton Meadows Nature Reserve

Tawny mining bee

Once an agricultural site, this flourishing wildflower haven is alive with bees and other invertebrates in spring. Its chalky grassland provides an important corridor of nectar-rich food for bees as well as a place for them to rest and nest. With over 30 hectares (74 acres) to explore, it is the perfect place to spot solitary species such as the tawny mining bee flitting between bright yellow meadow buttercups, nodding oxeye daisies, knapweed and birds foot trefoil.

Where: SO23 7ER

5 Newchurch Moors Nature Reserve Pantaloon mining bee

A walk through this rich tapestry of habitats, from floodplain meadow to grazed pasture, marshland, fen, river and woodland (which is in full bloom in spring), may reveal tiny holes in the sandy soil which are clues as to where burrowing bees have made their homes. In a woodland clearing, there is also a purpose-built insect nest.

Where: PO36 0NL

6 St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve Red mason bee

Climb the 100 steps to the top of the hill, 70m above the valley, along worn grass paths that criss-cross the ridge. Red mason bees are very much at home on this remnant of ancient chalk downland. In the warmer months, they can be seen visiting a range of flowers, from cowslips and vetches to spring-blossoming shrubs like sallows, blackthorn and hawthorn.

Where: SO23 9PA

RYAN CLARK

CHRIS BLAKE

PHILIP PRECEY

WENDY CARTER

PAUL BROCK

Pond life

The best way to boost wildlife in your garden

Boosting the wildlife in your garden couldn’t be simpler or more exciting. What you need is a garden pond. Believe me you won’t regret it, says the BBC’s Justin Rowlatt.

There’ll be a li le digging. You need to go a bit deeper than you’d expect. Just over a metre is good. All the wonderful pond creatures that are going to make their home in your garden need somewhere to shelter away from the ice that will form in winter.

Then you’ll need a pond liner, gravel, some native UK pond plants and aquatic compost bags. Then you just fill it with tap water and wait. This is when the magic happens.

– my wife was not so impressed. But don’t worry, they are the lure that is going to tempt in other creatures for whom mosquito larvae are the tastiest of treats.

The nymphs of dragonflies and damselflies can’t get enough of them. Frogs and newts love them too. And if any do manage to hatch into actual mozzies, they’ll be dinner for swallows, swi s and bats.

During the first week or so your pond will go a sickly shade of green as algae makes itself at home. If you’re lucky, you’ll get your first creature in the second or third week. Mine was a hoglouse, a watery cousin of the woodlouse.

Next came mosquito larvae. I had loads, wriggling and squirming beneath the surface. I was transfixed

What you’ve created is an entire ecosystem, an intricate food web. The algae is food for the insects who are food for the frogs who are food for hedgehogs. You get the picture.

When you find yourself wondering why you are spending so long just staring at your new pond here’s the answer: what is unfolding before you is nothing less than the story of life on earth.

job

reporting from the front line of climate change. Justin is also a huge fan of ponds. He put his in three years ago and hasn’t looked back.

Justin Rowla is the BBC’s first ever climate editor. He describes his

as

Pond algae

Learn to love your algae. It is the bo om of the food chain and without it your pond would be a lot less enticing.

Hoglouse

Hoglice are an aquatic relative of the woodlouse. And before you get sniffy about these li le lice, you should know they are one of the most ancient animal species on earth at more than 300 million years old.

Rat-tailed maggot

This is one of my favourite pond creatures. Think of maggots but with snorkels a ached to their bums. Except because rat-tailed maggots are aquatic, they are wonderfully clean and mutate into beautiful hoverflies.

Marsh marigolds

There are few sights more cheerful than a clump of bright yellow marsh marigolds. Think bu ercups but bigger and framed by dramatic dark foliage. They provide a hiding place for frogs and nectar for insects.

Yellow flag iris

There are lots of water iris species around the world but only one real choice for UK ponds, in my opinion. The yellow flag iris, the only aquatic iris native to the UK.

Hornwort

This is one of the workhorses of a thriving pond. Hornwort is a dark green plant that floats beneath the surface releasing life-giving oxygen. But beware, just like algae, happy hornwort

Large red damselfly

On a sunny spring day there is always at least one red damselfly hovering, like a tiny helicopter, over my pond. These creatures live out their entire lives before your eyes and their nymphs hoover up mozzie larvae.

Common frog

We have three. All slightly different colours. My wife insists she recognises each one. You’ll be spellbound as they lay their spawn. The tiny black dots in the centre evolve into surprisingly rapacious tadpoles and then, majestic frogs.

MY WILD LIFE

John Durnell

John Durnell, Director of Nature Based Solutions and Managing Director of the Trust Consultancy Arcadian Ecology & Consulting, was virtually born into a world of wildlife. He explains how his life experiences have shaped a 27-year career of land management at the Trust and fuelled his passion to protect the environment on a much wider scale.

I was always outside and messing about in the mud. My parents were primary school teachers; lovely people who were really interested in wildlife. They were curious about everything and bought us a set of encyclopaedias (a big investment at the time) for us to look things up. We roamed nature reserves at weekends and went

on RSPB walks to look at birds sometimes (although my brother Pete was more into it than me) and he and I would search for old pieces of pottery or bones to put on display in our shed.

I watched all the David Attenborough shows. I wanted to be a wildlife cameraman because it looked so glamourous. But there weren’t many

wildlife or conservation courses available, so after my A-levels I went to the Portsmouth Polytechnic to study biology (specialising in marine biology).

After my degree, it seemed like the only career option available to me was working in a lab, which I didn’t fancy, so I became a builder. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, so after four years I took a post-graduate diploma in ‘Advanced Environmental Practice’ with a focus on conservation management. After volunteering at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, I managed to get my first paid job in conservation on Hayling Island with Pete. I worked on nature reserves in east Hampshire, doing things like chain-sawing, fencing, estate management, litter-picking, guided walks and butterfly transects – which was a great foundation. After a year out travelling, a Reserves Officer role opened at the Trust. I was enjoying being a ranger, but a colleague encouraged me to broaden my skills and go for the Trust job. I oversaw about 20 reserves, making all the decisions about things like grazing, habitat management, volunteers and funding. It gave me a solid understanding of all the key site management elements.

When I started, the Trust was a lot smaller and there was a ‘make do and mend’ attitude. There were only about 20 staff compared to now (about 140).

Above: John helping to stop the spread of invasive non-native plants in the New Forest area.

“Like most naturalists, I came into conservation by birding, but nowadays I’m as impressed by, and concerned about, the fate of insects. If you get your habitat management right, and your worms, your moths, and your bu erflies are thriving, then everything else will be all right.”

We were like a family-run business and at 11am every day everyone stopped and sat round the table for a cup of tea. There was a typing pool for letter writing, and no computers. I remember being given a dictaphone to dictate letters into, and thinking it was outrageous – a few years later computers were on every desk. The world has changed a lot, with technology driving the change, but we have the same priorities and focus as we did 20 years ago.

As I moved up the ranks I became the Reserves Manager, which included managing the second Reserves Officer who looked after 20 more sites, then I decided to go travelling again this time to South America for six months. When I returned, I was initially the Land Advice Manager, then I became Head of Conservation in the New Forest, so my partner Clare and I set up home in the New Forest and started our family. I went on to become Head of Conservation for West Hampshire, then Director of Estates before moving into my current role.

I was recently awarded an outstanding achievement award for my work surrounding nature-based solutions. The Wildlife Trusts awards employees nationally each year. The Marsh Charitable Trust Leadership and Innovation in Nature Restoration Award is for people who they feel have done something particularly progressive. It was an honour to be selected, but really, it’s an award for the whole Trust. My entire team is absolutely brilliant, and anything we’ve achieved, we achieved together.

Much of my work for the past few years has been developing the Trust’s nutrient neutrality scheme. This is based on a European court case – the Dutch Nitrogen Case – which found that local planning authorities should not allow activities that will cause

IAN FLETCHER

Above: The narrow-bordered bee hawkmoth is a fantastic bumblebee mimic, but it doesn’t land on flowers to feed, it uses its long tongue.

environmental damage to designated sites, unless appropriate mitigation is in place. So, we thought ‘let’s buy some farms, turn them into nature reserves and the reduction in nitrate inputs, caused by not intensively farming the sites, would enable us to generate credits which would generate income for the purchase and management of those sites’. Thanks initially to a major donor, we bought Little Duxmore Farm in 2020 and generated enough nitrate credits to be able to repay the donor and set aside funds to manage the site. It was a risk, but it worked. I’m pleased that the Trust continues to expand its portfolio of nature reserves, we tend to buy three or four pieces of land a year.

Nature I like discovering is scarce local wildlife. There’s a little meadow near where I live, where I found a narrowbordered bee hawk-moth (resembles a bumblebee with opaque wings). They aren’t super rare, but they are unusual.

Roydon Woods Nature Reserve (gifted to the Trust by Peter Barker-Mill in 1978) is my local nature reserve. It’s a phenomenal spot – about 1,000 acres of woodland, heathland, grassland and

meadows, with the beautiful Lymington River running through it. There’s something very special about walking across the heaths at dusk, listening to nightjars chirruping all around.

There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about nature. While, sadly, wildlife continues to decline, young people care and campaign more than ever before and I’m convinced we can and do make a difference. Take the example of the otter – nearly extinct in England in the 1970s and now they are recorded in every UK county. As a boy, I remember car journeys to Bristol from our home in Swindon, where my dad would offer 10p to the first person to spot a buzzard. We wouldn’t see one until we were deep in the west country, whereas the other day I saw a red kite circling right above my mum’s house in Swindon; I’m sure I would have got a quid for that in the 1970s!

• See page 13 in our news section for more about John’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

Above: John and daughter Izzie at the Restore Nature Now March in June 2024 with Trust CEO Debbie Tann MBE.

Your membership is saving butterflies, bees, and trees. So why not spread the word and inspire others to support wildlife and wild spaces too?

Encourage a friend to head to the website link below to join Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust today. And, as a special thank you, we will send you both a tin of beautiful wildflower seeds!

Refer a friend today, and together we can create a wilder future.

Each wildflower seedball tin contains a buzzing wildflower mix, including cornflower, cowslip and oxeye daisy. When your friend signs up as a new member, make sure they add your full name and postcode, so we can send you both your free seedballs!