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January 2025

  • Date published

    Friday, 24 January 2025

News from the team

It’s probably close to the acceptable limit for saying this, but… Happy New Year to everyone. We trust you all had an enjoyable seasonal break and are now back in harness and raring to go! The first month of the year already suggest that 2025 is going to be busy. 

Of course, the end of last year saw us bid farewell to Natalie Poulter, our valued colleague and partnership coordinator.  We wish her well in her new role with Wessex Water where she will remain closely engaged with the work of all the catchment partnerships across the Wessex area. We are pleased to report that the recruitment process for a new coordinator attracted high-quality candidates and was concluded early in January.  An announcement of who has been appointed to the role will follow soon once formalities are finalised.  

Elsewhere the pace and scope of activity within the team has continued, not only with day-to-day routine business coordinating and hosting the various partnership groups, but also engaging with the larger ongoing projects. The Dorset Peat Partnership restoration locations are nearly completed, and this month Sally has been using her experience leading on coordinating unexploded ordnance surveys on partners’ sites. Holly has been working with Dorset Wildlife Trust and partners, in particular with Story Map and blogs, and also editing our newsletter this month. The coming weeks will see us drop back into our familiar business rhythm and we look forward to working alongside all our partners driving towards our joint objectives.

With best wishes to all,
Lee, Sally and Holly.

Partner update

World Soils Day

On the 5th of December it was World Soils Day. Dorset Wildlife Trust have published a blog post about the importance of healthy soil ecosystems and peatland restoration. Peatlands are a brilliant store of carbon, as well as rainwater making it important for reducing greenhouse gases, and ideal as a flood risk reduction measure.
 
Dorset Peat Partnership have been busy carrying out restoration works on their final sites in Canford Heath, Upton Heath and Holme Lane Bog, in preparation for completion in March 2025.

The Partnership has recently had some great media recognition with the Canford Heath site which you can read here.

Find the full blog here as well as view a summary of all 16 of Dorset Peat Partnership’s restoration sites on this Storymap.

Wider news

Flood and coastal erosion risk
The Environment Agency have published the National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024 report which summarises the updated data available on the National Flood Risk Assessment and the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map. The data from both will be publicly available on the government website by the end of January 2025.

Food-borne disease risk through water networks
A report by CEFAS has been published, following a stakeholder workshop on food-borne disease and the use of bio surveillance via water networks. The workshop involved several presentations of pathogens within various water sources such as wastewater, coastal waters, and fisheries.

Reservoir site to wildflower meadows
One of Southern Water’s reservoir sites is due to become a wildflower meadow. Working with the Butterfly Conservation, they will be sowing 80 kilos of wildflower seed, that has been harvested from a local nature reserve, onto a chalk grassland habitat.

Volunteers to remove pennywort
Woosh Explore Canoe Club have previously spent five years removing the invasive plant species pennywort from the river Stort. They are now moving their focus to the river Lea and searching for volunteers to assist them.

Charter for Small Waters
Freshwater Habitats Trust have joined forces with a coalition of environmental charities, including The Wildlife Trusts and National Trust, calling on the Government to recognise the vital importance of small freshwaters and promote their protection, restoration, and creation in reformed programmes of freshwater monitoring and management.

Invasive species course
A free online course is available about slowing the spread of invasive non-native species (INNS). It details why biosecurity is important, identifies INNS and their ecological impact, as well as the best practices to prevent their spreading.

Remote regulation of agriculture
The Environment Agency’s Chief Regulator has published a report reviewing the activities regulated by the EA throughout 2023-2024. Within this, there is a case study explaining how they have been using remote sensing data to pinpoint areas of environmental risk or harm.

Local news

Avon Heath restoration
Dorset Council will be restoring a SSSI lowland Heath habitat, as part of a £1.2 million project. This will involve scrub removal, tree felling and the removal of other invasive species.

Wessex Environment Programme 2023/24 summary
A document has been produced showcasing some of the projects that have been taking place within the Wessex region that contribute towards improving the water environment. This includes several projects that are being delivered and carried out by DCP partners.

Arne Moors on BBC Two
The archaeology programme Digging for Britain featured the Moors at Arne project. In the summer of 2024, archaeologists discovered over 17,000 pottery fragments amongst other historical artifacts on the site which was previously a Roman pottery production site. Watch the episode on catch-up here.

Have your say

Protecting peat
Somerset Wildlife Trust are asking for you to email your MP urging to ban peat extraction for gardening and growing usage. This is in support of the Horticulture Peat (Prohibition of Sale) Bill, which has passed it first reading.

2025 Management Plan
Cranborne Chase National Landscape are asking for you to have your say on their draft Management Plan. It sets out the approach and ambitions for managing the organisation for the following five years. This consultation closes on 27th February 2025.

Shaping policy for nature-based solutions
Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme are asking for your views on the issues faced in implementing Nature-Based Solutions. The survey closes on the 10th February 2025.

Funding

Rewilding Innovation Fund
The first of two rounds of funding is now available from Rewilding Britain. Up to £15,000 is available for large-scale nature restoration projects. You must be a part of the Rewilding Network to be eligible. Applications close on the 28th February 2025.

Community Nature Fund
The Peak District National Park Foundation have up to £5000 of funding available for projects aiming to create, increase, or improve spaces for nature. The deadline for this round of applications is on the 30th January 2025.

Outdoor Community Spaces Fund
The Asda Foundation has grant funding available for projects that aim to improve outdoor community spaces. This can include cleaning up green spaces, creating or enhancing community growing projects, or transforming an outdoor area to create a greener and more engaging community space. The deadline for application submissions is the 11th February 2025.

Grow Wild Community Programme
A £2000 grant is available for community groups and organisations that are looking to transform an urban space with UK native plants or fungi, encourage wildlife, and involve their local community. There is a further opportunity for a £500 follow-on grant in 2026. Apply by the 13th February 2025.

Events and webinars

Big Farmland Bird Count 2025
From the 7th to the  23rd February, The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Big Farmland Bird Count will be running again. Find out how to get involved here. 

Local fisheries and conservation matters
Southern IFCA are running a community drop-in surgery in Weymouth on Tuesday 25th February. Find out more about it here.

PondNet Spawn Survey 2025
Freshwater Habitats Trust are inviting people across the UK to record common frog and toad spawn sightings. The results will be publicly available to view at the Record Pool. The survey is open until May 2025. Get involved here.

Swanage Streams Partnership meeting
A meeting is being run for the residents and businesses of Langton Matravers to hear about the Swanage Streams Partnership’s upcoming Natural Flood Management plans. The meeting will take place on Wednesday 29th January 2025. Discover more about it here.

Around the bend tour
Wessex Water are hosting two tours of water recycling centres on the 22nd and 27th February 2025, in Corfe Castle and Swanage. Book your free space here.

Journey to net-zero
Low Carbon Dorset are running a photographic exhibition in Shaftesbury displaying some of Dorset’s sustainable projects and people. The showcase ends on the 1st February 2025. Discover further details here.

Tub2Pub
Greene King pub company is running a plastic recycling initiative, where people can bring their empty plastic tubs into participating pubs until Sunday 16th February 2025. All funds raised from this scheme will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. Learn more about getting involved here.

Jobs