List of local nature reserves in West Sussex facts for kids

Pagham Harbour is a beautiful Local Nature Reserve in West Sussex.

Imagine a special place where nature is protected, a bit like a giant outdoor classroom or a safe home for plants and animals. These places are called Local Nature Reserves (LNRs). Local councils, like your town or county council, are in charge of these areas. They make sure these spots are looked after, either by owning the land, renting it, or having a special agreement with the owner. LNRs are chosen because they have something really unique and important, whether it's rare plants, interesting animals, or special rocks and landforms.

In March 2019, there were twenty-seven of these amazing LNRs in West Sussex. Many of them have extra special titles too! For example, nine are also Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which means they are super important for their wildlife or geology across the country. Some are even Ramsar sites, which are wetlands important for birds all over the world! Two of these LNRs are managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, a charity that helps protect wildlife.

West Sussex is a county in south-east England, home to about 780,000 people. Its main town is Chichester. The county has different types of land: in the north, you'll find the heavy clays and sands of the Weald; in the middle, the chalk hills of the South Downs stretch from east to west; and in the south, a flat coastal plain meets the English Channel.

What are Local Nature Reserves?

Local Nature Reserves are places where nature is given a helping hand. Local councils officially name these areas under a special law called the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. This law helps make sure these natural spots are kept safe for everyone to enjoy and for wildlife to thrive.

The local council must have control over the land, either by owning it, leasing it, or having a special agreement with the owner. Their job is to look after these places. They can even create local rules, called bye-laws, to manage and protect the LNRs. This helps keep the areas healthy and safe for both people and wildlife.

How to Visit These Places (Access Guide)

When you see a Local Nature Reserve listed, it's helpful to know if you can visit it. Here's what the access symbols mean:

• No = This means there is no public access to the site. It's usually to protect very sensitive wildlife.
• PP = This means you can visit part of the site, but not all of it.
• Yes = This means most or all of the site is open for you to explore!

Special Designations (What They Mean)

Many Local Nature Reserves have extra special titles that show how important they are. Here are some of those titles:

• NCR = Nature Conservation Review site. These are places identified as being very important for nature conservation in the UK.
• Ramsar = Ramsar site. This is an internationally important wetland site, especially for water birds.
• SAC = Special Area of Conservation. These sites protect some of Europe's most endangered habitats and species.
• SM = Scheduled monument. This means there's an important historical or archaeological site within the nature reserve.
• SPA = Special Protection Area. These are areas protected under a European Union rule to conserve wild birds.
• SSSI = Site of Special Scientific Interest. These are the best sites in the UK for wildlife and geology.
• SWT = Sussex Wildlife Trust. This means the site is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, a local charity.

Exploring West Sussex's Nature Reserves

West Sussex is home to many wonderful Local Nature Reserves, each with its own unique features and wildlife. Here's a look at some of them:

Site	Photograph	Area (hectares)	Location	Other Classifications	Access	Description
Ardingly Reservoir		74.5 hectares (184 acres)	Haywards Heath		Yes	This reservoir has open water, grassy meadows, and different types of woodland. You can find special ferns, mosses, and lichens on the sandstone rocks. Birds like great crested grebes and kingfishers nest here.
Ashenground and Bolnore Woods		14.4 hectares (36 acres)	Haywards Heath		Yes	These woods are filled with oak, beech, and field maple trees. There are also old hornbeam, ash, and hazel trees that have been coppiced (cut back to grow new shoots). You might spot bats, woodpeckers, and owls here.
Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve		36.2 hectares (89 acres)	Burgess Hill		Yes	This farm has woodlands, meadows full of wildflowers, and ancient hedgerows. The woodland features old hornbeams and wild service trees. Look out for wildflowers like the yellow rattle in the meadows.
Blunts Wood and Paiges Meadow		28.9 hectares (71 acres)	Haywards Heath		Yes	This site has many different natural areas, including a pond, wetlands, hedgerows, and various types of woodland. You can find birch trees, hazel coppice, and areas full of bluebells.
Brandy Hole Copse		6.5 hectares (16 acres)	Chichester	SM	Yes	This nature reserve has both broadleaved and conifer trees, open water, and marshy areas. You might also see heathland and tall ferns. Pipistrelle bats are among the animals that live here.
Brooks Local Nature Reserve, TheThe Brooks Local Nature Reserve		19.1 hectares (47 acres)	Bognor Regis		Yes	The Brooks has large grassy areas, reedbeds, ponds, and new woodlands. One part is a special wildlife sanctuary where dogs are not allowed, to protect ground-nesting birds. The site often floods in winter, which creates a great home for wetland plants and animals.
Burton and Chingford Ponds		63.0 hectares (156 acres)	Petworth	SSSI, SWT	Yes	This site features ponds, carr woodland (a type of wet woodland), boggy areas, and marshy grassland. It's home to many different insects, including some rare species of snails and craneflies. Important breeding water birds like water rails and great crested grebes also live here.
Eames Farm		132.5 hectares (327 acres)	Southbourne	NCR, Ramsar, SPA, SSSI	No	This area of grazing marsh, wetlands, and reedbeds is managed as an organic farm. It has many rare plants and insects. It's also a vital stop for many migrating wading birds and wildfowl.
Eastern Road Nature Reserve		3.5 hectares (8.6 acres)	Haywards Heath		Yes	This reserve has rough grassland, wetlands, woodland, and scrub. You can find aquatic insects like dragonflies, and other creatures such as frogs and newts.
Fairmile Bottom		61.3 hectares (151 acres)	Arundel	SSSI	Yes	This site features wildflower meadows growing on chalk and woodland with groups of yew trees. It's known for its amazing variety of beetles, and many different moths and butterflies.
Grattons Park		7.7 hectares (19 acres)	Crawley		Yes	The Gatwick Stream flows through this park. Other natural areas include broadleaved woodland and grassland. You can find plants like lesser celandine and wild daffodils. Birds such as treecreepers, great spotted woodpeckers, and long-tailed tits live here.
Harting Down		206.6 hectares (511 acres)	Harting	NCR, SSSI	Yes	This sloping site on the South Downs has grassland with scattered woodland and scrub. You might see grizzled skipper butterflies, blue carpenter bees, and cheese snails.
Iping Common (Stedham with Iping)		118.2 hectares (292 acres)	Midhurst	NCR, SSSI, SWT	Yes	This is one of the richest heathland areas in the county. Most of it is dry heath, but there are also wet heath areas, two ponds, woodland, and grassland. It has a rich variety of insects and birds like nightjars and stonechats that nest on the heathland.
Lancing Ring		29.4 hectares (73 acres)	Lancing		Yes	This chalk grassland site is home to adders and lizards. The woodland areas have beautiful flowers like early purple orchids. There are also dewponds (ponds that collect dew) which are home to many newts.
Lynchmere Commons		122.0 hectares (301 acres)	Linchmere		Yes	This heathland site includes Stanley, Lynchmere, and Marley Commons. They have many different insect species and unusual plants like bilberries.
Mill Hill		13.5 hectares (33 acres)	Shoreham-by-Sea		Yes	This site has chalk grassland, scrub, and young woodland. It's one of the best places in Sussex for butterflies, with 29 different species recorded, including the beautiful Adonis blue. More than 160 types of flowering plants have been found here, such as horseshoe vetch.
Nutborne Marshes		386.9 hectares (956 acres)	Thorney Island	NCR, Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI	No	This area has saltmarsh and mudflats that are covered and uncovered by the tide. The mudflats are home to many invertebrates like ragworms. The banks have unusual plants, including sea wormwood. Migrating birds like curlews, grey plovers, and dunlins visit here.
Pagham Harbour		599.1 hectares (1,480 acres)	Bognor Regis	NCR, Ramsar, SPA, SSSI	PP	This is a large area with salt marsh, mud flats, shingle, open water, and wet grassland. It's super important for birds that breed here and for wildfowl and wading birds that spend the winter. It also has important communities of plants and invertebrates, including the nationally endangered sea anemone Nematostella vectensis.
Pilsey Island		17.8 hectares (44 acres)	Thorney Island	NCR, Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI	No	This island has sand dunes, mudflats, salt marsh, and shingle areas with and without plants. It's home to many plants, spiders, and insects.
Scrase Valley		8.0 hectares (20 acres)	Haywards Heath		Yes	This site has grassland, woodland, and marsh. You can find a number of unusual plants here, such as purple toothwort, marsh cinquefoil, meadow thistle, and marsh speedwell. The Friends of The Scrase Valley have planted three black poplar trees, which are a nationally rare species.
Shoreham Beach		26.2 hectares (65 acres)	Shoreham-by-Sea		Yes	This beach has vegetated shingle, which is a very rare habitat around the world. You can find plants like yellow horned poppy, sea kale, and curled dock growing here.
Target Hill Park		9.0 hectares (22 acres)	Crawley		Yes	This park has many different natural areas, including ponds, wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and scrub. You might see reptiles like slow-worms, adders, and common lizards. Butterflies like skippers, meadow brown, small heaths, and ringlets also live here.
Tilgate Forest		6.9 hectares (17 acres)	Crawley		Yes	This site has woods, tall herbs and ferns, and heathland. The most common trees in the natural woodland areas are birch, oak, and hazel. There are also planted areas with trees like Scots pine, red oak, western hemlock, and beech.
Tottington Wood		5.1 hectares (13 acres)	Henfield		Yes	This is an ancient wood, recorded as far back as the 1600s! It has an oak tree that is over 250 years old. You might spot mammals like roe deer and bats, and birds such as woodpeckers and blue tits.
Warnham		38.4 hectares (95 acres)	Horsham		Yes	The main part of this site is the 7-hectare Warnham Millpond, with its islands and plants growing along the edges. The Boldings Brook runs through the site and floods areas of wet grassland and willow carr in winter. Many different insects and plants have been recorded here.
West Beach		15.7 hectares (39 acres)	Littlehampton	SSSI	Yes	This part of the shoreline has sand dunes at the back and a vegetated shingle beach in front, which is a rare habitat in the country. The area between the tides has soft muds and sands with many invertebrates. These small creatures are an important food source for birds that spend the winter here, especially sanderlings.
Widewater Lagoon		8.8 hectares (22 acres)	Lancing		Yes	This coastal lagoon is separated from Lancing Beach by a man-made shingle bank. The water is brackish (a mix of fresh and salt water). You can see wildfowl like herons and swans here.

See also

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Sussex
• Sussex Wildlife Trust

Sources