Maidstone backs farmer-led plan to restore rivers, wetlands and wildlife habitats

Maidstone Borough Council is supporting a new farmer-led project aimed at improving rivers, wetlands and wildlife habitats across parts of the borough.

The council has agreed £87,600 in funding for Kent Wildlife Trust to support a two-year project focused on the Lower Beult catchment, including the Marden Farmer Cluster and the Greensand Ridge Farmer Cluster. The idea is to help farmers and landowners work together across a wider landscape, rather than treating nature recovery as something that happens in small, separate patches.

The project will build on work already carried out in the Upper Beult area, where farmers, landowners and conservation specialists have worked together on practical improvements to the local environment.

The new funding will support expert advice and coordination from Kent Wildlife Trust, helping local farmers form and develop collaborative cluster groups. These groups can then work on projects such as river restoration, wetland recovery, better habitats along riverbanks, nature-friendly land management and improvements to water quality.

It is a practical approach, and probably the right one. Farmers and landowners are the people who know this landscape best. They understand where water sits after heavy rain, where soil is being lost, where wildlife is returning, and where the pressure points are. If nature recovery is going to work properly, it cannot just be planned from an office. It needs the people on the ground involved from the start.

Healthy rivers and connected habitats are not just nice extras for the countryside. They matter for wildlife, farming, flood risk and climate resilience. When rivers are damaged, wetlands disappear and habitats become broken up, the whole landscape becomes weaker. Water quality suffers, wildlife struggles, and rural communities become more exposed to flooding and extreme weather.

Cllr Rachel Rodwell, Maidstone Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery, said restoring rivers and landscapes is important for tackling climate change, protecting wildlife and supporting rural communities. She also highlighted the work already being led by farmers in the Lower Beult area, saying visits to local farms had shown how effective collaborative action can be.

Members of the Marden Farmer Cluster, Louise Carpenter and Peter Hall, welcomed the council’s support for their continuing nature recovery and regenerative farming work, including their links with Marden Wildlife.

Kent Wildlife Trust has also warned that rivers such as the Beult are facing serious pressure from pollution, habitat loss and climate change. Paul Hadaway, the trust’s Director of Conservation, said working directly with farmers and landowners gives the project a chance to restore rivers and wetlands on a larger scale, improve water quality, bring back habitats and reduce flood risk.

That is the key point here. This is not just about planting a few trees or creating one wildlife area. It is about looking at the whole catchment and asking how land, water, farming and nature can work better together.

Kent Wildlife Trust will lead the delivery of the project, working with farmers, landowners, the Environment Agency and other partners. The aim is also to use the council’s grant to unlock further funding, so the benefits continue beyond the initial two-year period.

For Maidstone, this is a positive step. It recognises that climate resilience and nature recovery are not separate from farming and rural life. They are deeply connected. Supporting farmers to lead this work makes sense because they are not outside the landscape. They are part of it.

The funding was agreed by Maidstone Borough Council’s Cabinet as part of its wider work on nature recovery and climate resilience across the borough.