Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray (RBOR)

A newly funded and exciting initiative to restore nature and support rural and urban communities in this incredible landscape sitting across the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire border.

The landscape

The 300km² Bernwood Otmoor Ray (BOR) landscape lies between the large urban centres of Oxford, Bicester and Aylesbury. It contains nationally important but increasingly fragmented habitats such as ancient woodland, species-rich grassland and floodplain meadows. Rare species supported by these habitats include black and brown hairstreak butterflies, curlew, Bechstein’s bats and great crested newts.

The area includes BBOWT’s Bernwood Forest and Ray Valley Living Landscape.

The initiative

BBOWT and ten partners have been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop the Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray Initiative over the next two years. If we are successful, this will unlock over £3.5 million to deliver the programme between 2027 and 2032.

The projects under development include:

• Getting local communities involved with citizen science to gather data on their local wildlife and environment.
• Developing opportunities for young people to get involved in nature conservation and restoration.
• Woodland restoration and development across the ancient Bernwood Forest.
• Creation of a landscape-scale wetland mosaic in the Upper Ray Valley, natural flood management and creating habitats for wetland species.
• Connecting habitats by restoring hedgerows and field-margins, which function as ecological corridors.
• Understanding the geology and archaeology of the BOR region and engaging local communities to support this research and build their connection with the landscape and its history.
• Exploring community activism across the BOR region through history.
• Exploring and recording memories and oral histories from residents – particularly older residents – of the BOR region.
• Increasing the accessibility of the countryside in the BOR area for recreation whilst also reducing recreational pressure on sensitive sites for wildlife.
• Connecting and promoting urban and rural greenspaces and supporting development of community custodianship of those greenspaces.

Find out more

Since 2022, BBOWT has led a feasibility study to draw out the most immediate opportunities for nature and people in the BOR landscape, thanks to funding from Buckinghamshire Council. More than 200 people were consulted including environmental groups, local authorities, statutory agencies, landowners, farmers, and communities.

Full report     

Four-page summary

Get involved

If you would like to find out more or get involved, please contact us.

Partners

Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the Ray is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can build on the vision for nature's recovery in this very special landscape.