Hampshire and Isle of Wight WildlifeTrust hails 'encouraging' rewilding scheme success in tackling Solent nitrate pollution

Specialists from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust say the scheme, which offsets the impact of new developments in the Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham, and Gosport areas, has far exceeded expectations.

The project saw 40 hectares of former farmland at Wilder Little Duxmore on the Isle of Wight, which sits on a tributary of Wootton Creek, returned to nature. The results are the first in the UK to show such a significant decrease in soil mineral nitrogen at a rewilding project, with a drop of 47 per cent in just under two years.

The figures could spell the end of a ‘deadlock’ which has halted the developement of new homes in Hampshire in recent years. Plans to build thousands of homes have been on hold since 2019 when Natural England warned of the damage nitrates released in the proccess would do to local ecosystems.

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Nitrates and phosphates can be produced in residential and agricultural works such as sewage treatment, septic tanks, wastewater, livestock and arable farming. When they wash into marine and freshwater habitats, they can harm wildlife.

Little Duxmore provides enough nitrate credits for Fareham Borough Council to give the green light for around 400 homes across various sites. Replicating this on a larger scale, as the wildlife trust hopes to, will eventually lead to permissions for up to 12,000 homes being granted.Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust chief executive Debbie Tann said: ‘These are extremely encouraging results that we were just not expecting after such a short amount of time. This is a new realm of science for the UK as other rewilding schemes are underway, but we are the first to undertake such rigorous monitoring. These results are very significant for the fight against pollution here on the south coast.’

The Trust purchased Little Duxmore in 2020, previously an arable farm that was subject to high levels of fertiliser inputs, growing mainly maize for anaerobic digestion. As part of the Trust’s nature-based solutions programme, the land has been taken out of intensive agriculture and is being rewilded, allowing nature to take the lead.

Through the provision of nitrate credits, the project is offsetting development in the Solent catchment, restoring habitat for wildlife and helping to address the issue of high nitrate pollution in the Solent.

NOW READ: Up to 12,000 homes set for the Solent as nitrates deadlock starts to crumble

Jamie Marsh, director of wilder wight and wilder seas at HIWW, adds: ‘Wilder Little Duxmore is a fantastic example of a project that is providing multiple benefits for nature. Rewilding this arable farm and ‘farming wildlife’ is already delivering huge benefits to habitat and species recovery whilst simultaneously reducing pollution impacts into the Solent and protecting some of our most important marine habitats.

‘It is an absolute privilege to be based on this site and observe wildlife flourishing. Our monitoring is demonstrating how effective this process is in helping nature recovery as well as providing opportunities for landscape-scale restoration. Working in partnership with the Nunwell Home Farm will facilitate low-intensity regenerative grazing that supports the local rural community enabling us to still produce sustainable food from the land.’