Biodiversity Duty Report January 2026 - Appendix 2: Purple Horizons Summary

Purple Horizons Nature Partnership

Working together for nature recovery from Cannock Chase to Sutton Park

A significant landscape

• The landscape stretching from Cannock Chase to Sutton Park is a rich natural and cultural landscape, once the Royal Hunting Forest of Cank, with nationally and internationally important biodiversity and geodiversity.
• We want to help nature recover and help people connect more with nature in this landscape. Working at a landscape scale makes a real difference. Wildlife, water, and people don’t stop at boundaries.
• Restoring nature improves everyday life. Access to nature close to home supports physical health, mental wellbeing, and pride in place.

What’s so special about heathland?

England holds 12% of the world’s lowland heathland. Heathlands are mosaics of shrubs, wildflowers, grass, bare ground and trees, with wet and dry areas. They develop on poor, sandy soils and support specialised wildlife, but without management they revert to woodland. 

Shaped by people for over 5,000 years, they once offered grazing, fuel and building materials that supported local communities’ livelihoods. Heathlands are threatened by agricultural and urban conversion. England has lost around 80% of its lowland heathland since 1800. What remains is highly fragmented, placing dependent species at risk.

Vision

From Cannock Chase to Sutton Park, there will be a thriving landscape where heathland and associated habitats are connected, restored and valued by the community.

Mission

To bring together communities, experts, and partners to restore, protect, and connect key habitats across the area for the benefit of people and nature. To work together to empower local people to celebrate and safeguard their natural and cultural heritage, helping communities and nature flourish.

Why Purple Horizons?

Our project takes it’s name from the purple haze that can be seen when heather flowering reaches its peak in August.

Our priority outcomes

Theme 1: Nature Recovery

• 1.1 Increase in area of new priority habitat restored, created and connected
• 1.2 Increase in proportion of landscape protected and managed for nature
• 1.3 Increase in indicator species populations 1.4. Natural functions restored or emulated and climate resilience improved

Theme 2: Connecting People with Nature and Heritage

• 2.1 Increase in people’s connection to nature and heritage, particularly from under-represented groups
• 2.2 Greater understanding of nature and heritage in this place and more people taking action for nature

Theme 3: Funding and resources

• 3.1. Funding streams secured to complement existing funding and secure long-term future for the partnership’s activity 
• 3.2. Resources shared within the partnership

To find out more visit: BBC Wildlife: Purple Horizons