Grants of up to £5,000 will be available to help farmers and landowners create new wildflower havens for bees and other pollinators.
The South Downs National Park Trust is embarking on one of the biggest charitable wildflower planting initiatives the South East has seen.
It comes after the community rallied round to raise £75,000 to create a new network of wildflower corridors to help support pollinators.
New wildflower planting will effectively create a 'road system; for pollinating insects, allowing them to move through the landscape and become more resilient to change.
The Expressions of Interest process is now open and submissions will be taken until midnight on 30 September.
The South Downs National Park Trust, the charity for the National Park, is looking to hear from farmers and landowners that may be available for wildflower planting.
Nick Heasman, Countryside and Policy Manager for the National Park said: “It’s exciting to be able to open this out to the community and finally get the ball rolling on the wildflower planting.
“This a wonderful opportunity to be part of nature recovery, making a difference to the health of our habitats and helping conserve our precious environment for future generations.”
Grants of up to £5,000 will be available, subject to match funding from the applicant and a commitment to help maintain the wildflowers in future years.
The National Park says applicants could use the funding for improving existing land to benefit pollinators, for instance, through cultivation and seed mixes.
