A new project, funded by seahive and the hotel, dedicated to
looking after nature at Betteshanger Country Park through
better habitat management, better species monitoring, better
engagement with the local community and better connections
with wildlife conservation organisations
New School Engagement Program
46 acres for Wildlife Only
Wildlife Monitoring All Year Round
Nest Box Scheme Across The Park
Achieved through 3 core pillars
WILD BETTESHANGER SPACES
• The entirety of Betteshanger park’s 230 acres comes under an environmental management plan for the very first time, allowing its nature to be better understood and cared for.
• Approx 164 acres will be managed as an onsite public nature reserve, where wildlife is given priority.
• 46 acres of the best habitat fenced off exclusively for wildlife, creating an onsite nature only space for the first time ever.
• 9.1 acres of farmland adjoining the park re-wilded and incorporated into the park creating more wildlife only habitat.
• Hammill Field Nature Reserve, a 15 acres field 6km away, created for the protection of Turtle Doves but looked after by the Wild Betteshanger scheme.
• A bird and bat box scheme put into action creating homes for these creatures across the park.
• Signage put across the park showing visitors the unique species to be found in its different wild spaces.
WILD BETTESHANGER PEOPLE
• A new wildlife warden post created to oversee habitat management, create the first ever database of biodiversity at the park and be the go to person for all things wild.
• A Wild Betteshanger steering group of wildlife experts set up to support the warden and guide the management.
• Engage with children through a Wild Betteshanger schools program, inviting local schools to visit the park and get hands on with its wildlife, understand its ecology and geology with our Wildlife Warden.
• Hammill Field Re-Wild Your Child Project – Working with local primary schools. As children grow up, each school year from reception to year 6, they visit Hammill Field re-wilding reserve. They document it’s change from field to nature reserve, creating a 7 year long project that makes re-wildling part of their child hood.
• Build for Nature – Engaging with the technology departments of local schools and colleges. Providing them with raw material, they work with us to make bird and bat boxes for the park and wider community whilst giving pupils vital wood working skills.
• At the visitor centre a Wild Betteshanger Sightings board is erected allowing visitors to engage with other people and share what wildlife they have spotted that day, and for the warden to alert people to seasonal highlights.
• Wild Betteshanger Green Gang for anyone wanting to help the warden with tasks like putting up bird boxes, scrub clearing and generally managing the park for nature. Giving local people a chance to get hands on with conservation.
WILD BETTESHANGER PARTNERSHIPS
• Creation of a Wild Betteshanger Visitor Hub which showcases not only the nature at the park but also the surrounding landscape including neighbouring nature reserves of Lydden Valley, Ham Fen and The White Cliffs of Dover. Including an invitation to the organisation that run them to share this space.
• Encouragement of local naturalists groups to help document and identify species at the park. We will be looking to work with bird ringers, botanists and bat detectorists to feed into our monitoring and also run wildlife workshops to share their skills.
• Reaching out online to anyone who is interested in wildlife at the park by a robust online and web presence containing key information about nature at the park and encourage visitors to share their personal wild experiences.
NATURE NEEDS FUNDING
The Wildlife at Betteshanger Park
has been ignored for decades,
with no funding to look after it properly
The new Wild Betteshanger Project, will give the park an ability to lead from
the front in finding ways of looking after nature in public spaces.
There will be more land for nature than ever before and a dedication to
protecting it through education and engagement.
The Sea Hive and Hotel applications provide the funding for Wild
Betteshanger so we do not have to rely on public taxes or charitable
donations to ensure nature is protected for decades to come.
