Condition review: Arun Valley Sites (NERR143)

The Arun Valley (West Sussex) is seen as one of the most biodiverse areas in the United Kingdom, containing communities of both nationally and internationally important flora and fauna, along with numerous areas of priority habitat; including low-lying grazing marsh, peat, raised bog and floodplain wetland. The presence of varied geology and water supply to areas within the Arun Valley has resulted in notable differences to the chemical status of the water and has led to the development of a wide range of ecological conditions which support a plethora of aquatic and terrestrial species. There are many designated sites within this catchment which include, the Arun Valley Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and Ramsar site (designated wetland). These sites are either underpinned, overlapped, or situated within close proximation to the five Site(s) of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) reviewed within this report; Arun Banks SSSI, Upper Arun SSSI, Amberley Wild Brooks SSSI, Pulborough Brooks SSSI and Waltham Brooks SSSI. A combination of desk-based analysis and in-field surveys to assess the condition of SSSI designated features was undertaken by Natural England (between 2021-2024. Where possible, this report reviews the historic trends in condition status and population dynamics of designated features, the appropriateness of conservation objectives, and the pressures thought to be contributing to the sites unfavourable condition status.