A collection of habitat banks providing a home for hedgehogs, bats, dormice and more will now be protected under a conservation covenant. The Blackboys Habitat Bank lies across 40-acres of land in rural East Sussex , where the existing sheep-grazed pasture fields will be transformed into a “stunning mosaic” of species-rich grassland, lowland meadows, mixed scrub, woodland and ponds. It is one of the sites which will now be secured under a conservation covenant, as announced by the Environment Bank and RSK Biocensus, the ecological consultancy.
A conservation covenant is an agreement to conserve the natural or heritage features of some land. This might be, for example, an agreement to maintain woodland and allow public access to it, or to refrain from using certain pesticides on native vegetation. The agreement is made between a landowner and designated responsible body, for example, a local authority.
The site will provide habitats for a range of notable and declining species, including hedgehogs, serotine bats, great crested newts, and hazel dormice. The Habitat Bank is strategically located to connect existing parcels of ancient woodland within the surrounding area. Woodland creation is one of the key opportunities identified in the High Weald National Character Area in which the Habitat Bank resides.
The site has multiple public access points and rights of way (PRoW). People will be able to visit and witness the habitats developing over the coming decade, and to observ.