What is a Wildlife Corridor?

A Wildlife Corridor or Nature Recovery Network is a joined-up system of nature habitats that allow species of all sorts to thrive or to recover.  When habitats are fragmented, survival is much harder for many species.

According to the national Wild life Trusts : Wildlife continues to be forced into fewer and smaller pockets of wild space surrounded by intensive agriculture or urban development with their consequences, and at risk of harm from pollution, pesticides and predation. We can’t wait for a species to become threatened before valuing it enough to protect it. Legal protection is then very limited. We are experiencing an ecological crisis and for this to recover we, all, need to contribute to protecting and provide suitable space for all species.

People benefit from and enjoy nature and therefore there has to be a balance so that both can thrive.

Barcombe wild life corridor has numerous species including one of the larger clusters of breeding nightingales in Sussex. Currently the nightingales here are doing well but they are going to be at increasing risk from the adjacent extensive Development and domestication of several green spaces.  Nightingales nest close to the ground and so are particularly vulnerable to disturbance and predation.

The Sussex Ornithological Society wrote to Lewes District Council in 2025 that all but a handful of the 24 nightingale breeding sites in the parish are along the corridor, as well as breeding migrant warblers, winter thrushes and a variety of resident birds. Breeding sites are at risk from increased disturbance by humans, dogs, cats and potential light pollution. Thick hedge barriers are desirable.

Barcombe Developers’ Ecologists wrote recently about the Barcombe old railway corridor  : Development may result in increased visitor pressure as there is access from the footpath network with significant impacts of increased recreation, erosion and dog fouling, and the potential for increased predation from cats which may result in adverse effects on the flora and habitats and breeding birds.

And that ‘increased artificial light levels may disturb birds and bats using habitat in the adjacent vicinity of the Site’.

We ask everyone to enjoy the nature here whilst doing what you can to limit these risks to it.

Thanks.