Surrey’s ‘Living Landscapes’ Initiative Launched

Surrey’s exciting ‘Living Landscapes’ initiative was launched on Wednesday 14th July, at an event co-hosted by Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) and the Surrey Biodiversity Partnership (SBP), at Denbies Wine Estate near Dorking.  The message was loud and clear:

To give wildlife the chance to survive climate change and the pressures of development and exist alongside us, we need to re-connect nature reserves and other green spaces – including gardens and parks - across the county, so populations of plants and animals can interact, expand, adapt and overcome the barriers we have created.

A wide variety of stakeholders attended, including delegates from Surrey County Council and almost every borough, Council leaders from environment and leisure services committees, representatives from every SWT partner agency and SBP’s wider membership, along with SWT’s Trustees; they came with a shared sense of responsibility to join the mission and spread the word to help create a ‘Living Landscape’ for Surrey.

The day began with a truly inspiring keynote speech from the nationally renowned environmentalist Chris Baines. Next John Edwards, Surrey’s County Ecologist, provided an update on the state of Surrey’s biodiversity; Ian Hepburn, Wildlife Trusts SE Regional Policy Director, presented the South East Biodiversity Strategy and finally Rich Howorth, rounded up the day with a case study of a Living Landscape project in action; ‘The West Weald Landscape Project’.

Mike Waite, SWT Living Landscapes Officer, said: “This well-attended event was the perfect opportunity for us to present our vision for the future direction of wildlife conservation in Surrey. By linking up – on a landscape-scale – our remaining, wildlife-rich habitats, we aim to save some of our best-loved species.”

Find out more about Living Landscapes:

SWT's general guide to Living Landscapes

Detailed policy statement

SWT's Living Landscapes Projects

Please contact Mike Waite on tel: 01483 795440 / email: mike.waite@surreywt.org.uk if you would like a hard copy of the two documents or have any questions relating to Living Landscapes. 

The SBP has also produced a summary of the partnership’s achievements over the past decade.