About the Brit Valley Project

The Brit Valley Project is on a journey to create one of the most ambitious nature restoration projects in South West England, focusing on the land, water and community in the wider Brit Catchment, West Dorset.

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Brit Valley Catchment

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Drone Shot of the Mapperton Area, Winter 2023. Copyright © Sam Rose 2024. Brit Valley Project

How did we get here?

In 2022 the Government launched the Environmental Land Management (ELMS) scheme to replace the old EU-led agricultural subsidy scheme. Part of ELMS is a programme called Landscape Recovery, which aims to do what it says on the tin - support land managers to make changes that help recover nature collectively, over a whole landscape.

The Brit Valley Project is one of DEFRA's Landscape Recovery pilot projects. It is a collaboration between 57 farmers and landowners from the catchment of the River Brit, all of whom have an interest in improving nature alongside undertaking more sustainable agriculture. Our farmers and landowners have collectively committed 3,500+ hectares of land to the scheme.

Our project is spearheaded by West Dorset Wilding, who successfully put the bid together and whose team are managing the project.

We are currently in our Development Phase which will last until March 31st 2026. By that point we aim to have secured a commitment to nature-positive land changes from our farmers and landowners and the funding from DEFRA (and others) for 20+ years of catchment-scale long-term, collaborative nature restoration.

What's the vision?

We have identified five ‘opportunity zones’ for the catchment, which set out a very broad guide for the most significant opportunities that farmers and landowners might take advantage of to improve nature and the climate resilience on their land. It is based on the principle of right solution for the right place and is not prescriptive. Any of the different types of land-use changes can be applied to any of the areas on the catchment, but such changes should be guided by the inherent features, e.g. existing habitats, geology, topography and hydrology. Our team and partnership of 50+ farmers and landowners have agreed that these are good opportunities for these areas of our catchment.

The opportunity zones are bold in their ambition, and although we are currently only working with the 3,500+ hectares of land, which has joined in the scheme, the zones can also be used as a guide for others not in the scheme but who may wish to collaborate as to the potential positive changes for nature on their land in the future.

Zones

Wood Pasture

Mixed woodland pasture opportunities with extensive grazing and naturally regenerating scrub on steep sides valleys and marginal farmland.

Grassland

Grazed, flower-rich grassland opportunities, with scattered scrub and added complexity, often on the higher chalk downlands and valley sides.

Cropped Land

Maintained production but with a focus on regenerative/organic farming and connected small woodlands, hedges and margins, focusing on higher grade farmland.

Wetland

Mixed land-use with expanded floodplain opportunities, including increased wet woodland, floodplain reconnections, scrub and tussocky grassland, concentrating on the lower-lying Simene valley.

Riparian

Throughout all rivers, we are looking for opportunities for wetland, floodplain reconnection and water and sediment holding measures along the river banks.

What will this do for nature and the climate?

By undertaking this work, the Brit Valley Project is working to achieve:

A significant increase in diversity and abundance of key indicator species in the catchment, notably birds, bats, butterflies and fish;
A catchment scale increase in the amount of soil and above ground carbon and also of wetland creation;
A substantial improvement in the condition of all rivers in the Brit catchment, a reduced chance of flooding and maintained water flow during droughts;
All land within the project managed better for nature;
Increased community engagement, people accessing nature, wellbeing and rural economic growth.