ANCIENT WOODLAND INVENTORY. Rother has the highest Ancient Woodland cover (as a percentage of its area) of all districts in the South East region. Its extent has recently been re-surveyed. Further details can be found on the Ancient Woodland webpage of Rother District Council.

BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION. An exciting project has taken place in our area to encourage the conservation of butterflies. Although the project has ended, there is a good website listing sightings of butterflies in the Rother area.

BREDE HIGH WOODS We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful amenity right on our doorstep with Brede High Woods situated just the other side of the Sedlescombe/Brede parish boundary.

RED BARN FIELD NATURE PARK This is a small rough area of ground at the rear of the village hall which is open to the public (no dogs please) and is easily accessible. Parking is available in the village hall car park. There is a good hard path to walk on through the field which is used by the Sedlescombe School Walking Bus.

SUSSEX BIODIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP. Sussex Biodiversity Partnership contains representatives from a range of organisations including conservation bodies, statutory agencies and local government. It was set up in 1996 to work together to conserve and enhance the special habitats and species of Sussex. This work is guided by the Sussex Biodiversity Action Plan.

Various Biodiversity Opportunity Areas have been identified in the district of Rother. One Opportunity Area encompasses parts of Sedlescombe. This is the "Rother, Brede and Tillingham Woods Biodiversity Opportunity Area" and the report can be accessed through the Rother District page.

INVASIVE PLANTS. Sedlescombe Parish Council has been tackling a giant hogweed problem along the Rivers Line and Brede for some years. The Clerk wrote a letter to the Sedlescombe Garden Society Newsletter "The Trug" in 2010 in answer to a correspondent who said he/she had planted some giant hogweed plants in their garden and objected to being told what he/she could plant.

In 2010, the Wildlife & Countryside Act Schedule 9 was amended so that more than 50 plants are now listed as invasive non-native plants which you should not plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild in England and Wales. See The Winter 2010 Plantlife article "Law updated on invasive plants".

The UK Wildlife website lists the plants.