THE SOUTH Downs National Park has launched a major campaign to help “re-nature” the park and create new havens for wildlife.

The #ReNature campaign is looking to raise more than £100million over the next ten years to create an extra 32,000 acres – or around 21,000 football pitches – of habitat where plants and animals can thrive.

The plans would mean an area more than three times the size of Portsmouth city, and more than six times the size of the City of Westminster in London.

A film titled The Night We ReNatured has been launched to kickstart the initiative, telling the story of a young girl who dreams of nature rekindling in the countryside, villages, towns and cities.

The film is also set to be shown this month in cinemas across the region.

Ecologist Andrew Lee, who heads countryside policy and management for the National Park, said: “The biodiversity crisis is real and it’s happening before our eyes. But the good news is it’s not too late to turn the tide of wildlife loss. Nature can thrive anywhere given the right support and we can all work together to make a real difference.

“Located in the busiest part of the UK in the south east, the South Downs National Park has a crucial role to play to lead nature recovery and be the hub of an interconnected ‘nature network’ for the entire region.

“Nature needs us now and we also need nature, perhaps now more than ever before in this post-pandemic world where green spaces have taken on a new level of importance. Apart from being incredibly beautiful and part of our shared appreciation for Planet Earth, nature gives us everything – whether it be clean water, fresh air or food to eat. We’re launching this campaign without a moment to lose because it’s time for all of us to help nature to renature.”

The South Downs currently has 25 per cent of land managed for nature, such as nature reserves, woods, heaths and ponds.

The extra 32,000 acres would bring this to 33 per cent of land managed for nature, going beyond current UN-backed conservation targets of 30 per cent by 2030.

Julie Fawcett, chair of the national park’s trust, said: “We really want this campaign to capture people’s imaginations about the beauty of nature and the important role we can all play in giving it a helping hand.”

See southdowns.enthuse.com/HelpNatureReNature