The Peppering Biodiversity Project is a success story for nature recovery being delivered at a large scale on an arable farm in West Sussex.

The near extinction of the grey partridge population in 2003 was a pivotal moment when the farm owner, the Duke of Norfolk, decided to do everything possible to reverse their fortunes, whilst ensuring a viable farming operation.

A pragmatic approach was needed with 85% of the farming operation focused on food production and 15% dedicated to linked habitats of hedgerow, grass and wild bird cover necessary to support the breeding success of grey partridge and other farmland birds.

The habitat creation figures are impressive. Since 2003, some 30 miles of new hedgerows have been created alongside various types of cover crops under the Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Initiative agri-environment schemes.

This includes 40 ha of 6m flower margins, 92 ha of 6m winter cover strips and 90 ha of 12m conservation headlands.

The flower margins are made up of native chalk Downland flowers and are full of the insect life so important to wild grey partridge chicks.

The winter cover strips shelter the hedgerow, provide additional nesting habitat for ground nesting birds, over winter cover from raptors and, of course, foraging opportunities.

The conservation headlands are where the farm operation does not use herbicides or pesticides, which means that part of the crop has arable weeds rich in invertebrate life, essential for farmland bird chicks to have sufficient food to grow and thrive.