In a nutshell...
Funding: Starting at £20,000 for a feasibility study with the view to seek £250,000 for the restoration works.
Length: TBC
Location: Chichester Harbour National Landscape
Aim: To assess the best sites for shingle recharge bird islands and then proceed in creating habitat.
*subject to additional management fees
Little Tern (c) National Trust
The opportunity
Chichester Harbour is more than just a beautiful landscape: it’s a flagship for Britain’s natural heritage.
This living, breathing harbour is internationally recognised as a Special Protection Area, Ramsar site and National Landscape.
Each year, up to 55,000 birds arrive here, including thousands of overwintering Brent Geese, and breeding populations of Terns, Plovers, Oystercatchers and other coastal specialists. But this jewel of the south coast is under acute pressure.
Rising seas are sweeping away the fragile shingle banks where seabirds once nested in abundance, while storm surges and flooding destroy entire breeding attempts in a single tide.
Natural England has already classified the harbour as in “Unfavourable – Declining” condition, and has explicitly called for shingle recharge as a recovery priority. Without action now, some of these birds will vanish from the harbour within our lifetimes.
This presents a rare chance for a funding partner to really turn the tide.
By backing this project, your business would not simply be supporting conservation: you would be visibly leading the charge to rescue an internationally significant landscape from the front line of climate change.
The work is immediate and the results, tangible.
When new shingle is delivered, birds will be on it within days, giving you a direct and visible legacy that clients, staff and communities can share.
Curlew (c) RSPB
The project
This project would launch with a feasibility study (£20,000) to identify the most promising shingle recharge sites, determine volumes required, and navigate regulatory pathways.
This will lay the groundwork for full-scale restoration (£250,000) to deliver shingle, secure consents, and rapidly create resilient habitat.
A similar recharge at Stakes Island in 2023 has already demonstrated proof of concept: Sandwich Terns and other vulnerable birds quickly occupied the restored habitat.
By scaling this across multiple sites in Chichester Harbour, we can transform the breeding prospects for some of the UK’s most threatened coastal birds.
Becoming the named partner of a nature recovery intervention in such a high-profile location offers clear advantages: brand visibility through national and local media; authentic evidence of sustainability leadership; and unique opportunities to host engagement days where staff and clients can see your contribution at work.
Few projects offer such a rapid, measurable and dramatic return in terms of both biodiversity impact and reputational value.
Key outputs
Part of the first phase of this project would be the feasibility study, which would lay out the key deliverables.
A funding partner is welcome to co-develop these with the team, working together to ensure that we deliver co-benefits for nature, people, and business.
Interested in hearing more?
Reach out to the team today.