Darent Valley Landscape Recovery Project
What is the Darent Valley Landscape Recovery Project?
A multi-partner habitat and river restoration project, the Darent Valley Landscape Recovery Project is an example of what can be achieved for nature through collaboration.
Making its way from Westerham to the Thames, the River Darent in Kent is a globally rare chalk stream. Faced with many threats, including climate change, development, abstraction and invasive species, this ecosystem and wider landscape is of critical importance to biodiversity in the area.
In 2022, the Darent Valley Farmer Cluster were successful in their application for Landscape Recovery, one of three new DEFRA Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS). One of just 22 first-round projects of its kind in England, the project aims to create and restore a mosaic of connected habitats across the landscape, supporting nature’s recovery in the Darent Valley. To date, the cluster has put forward an impressive 1800 hectares of land to restore for nature.
A key aim of the project is habitat and river restoration; re-wetting and creation of wetland habitat, flood mitigation and addressing barriers to fish passage. Another is species recovery and monitoring of the project’s priority species; including Yellowhammer, Water vole, Lapwing, Adder, Man orchid, Water crowfoot and Brown trout. Community engagement is also crucial; working with various local stakeholders, such as community groups, schools, local residents and landowners.
The loss of habitats and reductions in ecological biodiversity has been an undesirable feature during past decades. Many farmers have sought to redress this individually on their farms by implementing positive environmental stewardship actions. If we are to reverse this decline, greater progress will result if landowners work collaboratively to deliver restorative measures at a landscape scale.Darent Valley Farmer Cluster Lead
The success in bringing these elements together is the project’s collaborative focus, utilising skills and experience from the project partners:
- Kent Wildlife Trust
- South East Rivers Trust
- Adonis Blue Environmental Consultancy Services
- Northwest Kent Countryside Partnership
- Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme
- BTF Partnership
The Darent Valley Volunteers are also involved in the project, giving their time to conduct surveys for pollinators, Water vole and otter, and water quality testing.
To support the future implementation of the project after the initial two-year development phase, Darent Valley Farmer Cluster has formed Darent Nature Partnership. The company aims to secure private investment in nature-based solutions, such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and carbon credits to ensure the continued success of the project.
