Chalk and limestone grasslands across southern England are among the most species-rich and ecologically significant habitats in the UK, supporting rare butterflies, pollinating insects, wildflowers, and ground-nesting birds. Yet centuries of land use have left these landscapes fragmented, leaving small, isolated pockets that make it hard for wildlife to move, feed, and reproduce.
Restoring these habitats at scale depends on partnerships, practical interventions, and evidence-led action. Through targeted grazing, scrub management, wildflower planting, and the creation of seed donor meadows, fragmented grasslands can be reconnected into thriving networks that help species survive, adapt, and flourish in the face of climate change.
Through the Big Chalk partnership, we are working with farmers, estate owners, land managers, and nature organisations to improve and reconnect our grasslands, creating thriving networks that will help wildlife adapt to the impacts of climate change.
With £750,000 from the Big Chalk Nature Recovery Fund supporting 21 innovative projects, these collective efforts are transforming landscapes: restoring 160 hectares of chalk and limestone grassland, enhancing 570 hectares of connected wildlife-rich habitats, re-naturalising over 1 km of chalk streams, and planting more than 600 metres of hedgerows. Across southern England, isolated sites are becoming bigger, better, and linked—giving wildlife the space it needs to move, recover, and thrive.
Restoring these landscapes brings real, measurable benefits for nature and people. Well-managed chalk and limestone grasslands improve soil structure, water infiltration, and flood resilience, store carbon, support pollinators and crop pollination, and provide accessible green spaces for communities. By embedding nature recovery into everyday land management, farmers, landowners, and local organisations are creating resilient ecosystems, stronger habitat networks, and lasting legacies that connect wildlife and people for generations to come.
Why restoring chalk and limestone grasslands matters
Chalk and limestone grasslands are biodiversity powerhouses, supporting specialist plants like horseshoe vetch, dropwort, and wild thyme, and providing crucial foraging and breeding habitat for insects, birds, and mammals. Iconic species such as the Adonis Blue, Duke of Burgundy, and Small Blue butterflies rely on structurally diverse swards with short turf and scattered scrub.
Yet over 97% of lowland calcareous grasslands in England have been lost since the 1930s, leaving fragmented habitats too small to sustain specialist wildlife. Restoration expands and reconnects these patches, allowing species to move, feed, and reproduce, and helping landscapes adapt to climate change.
Contributing to national goals
Restoring chalk and limestone grasslands directly supports national biodiversity priorities. Big Chalk projects contribute to the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan for England and the Biodiversity 2030 strategy, helping improve and restore priority habitats and increase ecological connectivity.
Through evidence-led, landscape-scale interventions, these locally delivered Big Chalk projects are boosting climate resilience, pollination, soil healthby enabling more sustainable land management, showing how targeted action can create lasting benefits for wildlife, communities, and the landscapes they depend on and value.
Big Chalk-Backed grassland restoration projects
We’re delighted to be part-funding eight ambitious projects that improve,restore and reconnect these precious grassland habitats, helping create joined-up habitat networks that help wildlife thrive and landscapes become more resilient.
Grazing Gains at Dolebury Warren - National Trust | Dolebury Warren SSSI, Mendip Hills National Landscape
Dolebury Warren SSSI in the Mendip Hills is both a biological treasure and an Ancient Monument. This project introduces a livestock handling pen paired with NoFence GPS cattle collars, enabling regenerative grazing in a remote, sensitive limestone landscape.
By combining cutting-edge technology with traditional grazing, the project maintains the open sward structure essential for specialist wildlife. It demonstrates a practical, scalable model for sustainable habitat restoration, safeguarding species-rich grassland while protecting heritage.
Project impact
- 90 hectares of species-rich grassland improved
- Innovative grazing technology reduces fencing and machinery use
- Protects an Ancient Monument while enhancing biodiversity
- Knowledge-sharing model for farmers, conservationists, and volunteers
"By combining NoFence GPS collars with specialist grazing expertise, we’re transforming how grazing is managed—targeting cattle grazing with precision across a complex, remote landscape. This innovative approach reduces fencing, responds in real time to habitat needs, and demonstrates how new tools and techniques can deliver better outcomes for wildlife at scale. For us, this project is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when funding, technical expertise and strong farmer relationships come together."
— Lauren Holt, Lead Ranger, National Trust
Limesetone grassland at Dolebury Warren
Cattle grazing on open limestone grassland
Folly Farm Nature Recovery Project – Avon Wildlife Trust | Folly Farm, Stowey, Somerset
Enhancing 97 hectares of grassland and woodland through conservation grazing, targeted scrub management, and the planting of a 50-metre hedgerow, Folly Farm is laying the foundations for thriving, species-rich limestone meadows. Strategically positioned on a B-Line—a national “insect highway” linking the Cotswolds to the Mendips—it sits where wildflower-rich habitats can deliver the greatest benefit for pollinators and other wildlife. Guided by Buglife’s expertise in insects and monitoring, the project is weaving these restored habitats into a connected landscape where nature can move, recover, and flourish.
Bignor Chalk Highways – National Trust and tenant farmer| Bignor, South Downs National Park
Working together with their tenant farmer, contractors, and a team of 25 passionate volunteers, the Bignor Chalk Highways project is bringing fragmented chalk grasslands on the Slindon Estate back to life. Through carefully managed grazing, seeding, planting, and targeted scrub thinning, this work is creating the sheltered conditions that specialist wildlife—like the Duke of Burgundy butterfly—need to thrive. This first phase will restore 21.77 hectares of chalk grassland, strengthening habitat connectivity and boosting the resilience of this historic chalk landscape.
"Restoring chalk grassland at Bignor is about more than habitat—it’s about reconnecting a historic landscape for wildlife and people. By restoring these chalk grassland sites and creating new corridors between them, we ensure this chalk landscape remains resilient for generations to come. The work has engaged our neighbours, farm tenant, volunteers, local school and wider community and has laid the foundations for even greater ambitions on our land and beyond our boundaries.
— Katie Archer, Lead Ranger, National Trust
Chalk grassland meadow at Slindon Estate
Remote-controlled flail mower clearing dense scrub
Flower Rich Futures: Seed Harvesting for Grassland Restoration – Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust | Greystones Farm, Cotswolds National Landscape
Equipped with new seed-harvesting and ground-preparation tools, this project is restoring and creating species-rich limestone and floodplain grasslands across multiple sites, strengthening ecological connectivity and embedding wildlife-friendly farming into the landscape. By harvesting seed at varying times and using repeat sowing, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and farming partners are ensuring a full range of priority species is established—building diverse, resilient grasslands for the future.
New seed harvesting equipment
"With our new seed-harvesting equipment, we can scale up limestone grassland restoration across multiple sites. This project demonstrates that practical tools, used in partnership with farmers, can deliver wildlife-friendly landscapes that are richer, more connected, and resilient to environmental change."
— Grove Sykes, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Managing Chalk Grassland in the North Chilterns - Wildlife Trusts for Beds, Cambs and Northants | Chilterns National Landscape
Stretching across 11 sites in the North Chilterns—including Totternhoe Quarry, Pegsdon Hills, Blow’s Downs, Barton Hills, and Knocking Hoe—this project covers over 200 hectares of chalk grassland. Specialist grazing equipment and targeted scrub management are enabling access to previously inaccessible areas, improving habitat quality, reducing wildfire risk, and enhancing ecological connectivity across this nationally important chalk landscape corridor.
This strategic, landscape-scale approach is beginning to realise the vision of the North Chilterns Landscape Partnership, boosting the populations of specialist species that depend on structurally diverse habitats and demonstrating how evidence-led management and scalable interventions can restore sensitive landscapes while building long-term resilience.
Project impact:
- 200+ hectares of chalk grassland enhanced
- Expanded grazing access and scrub control
- Reduced wildfire risk and improved habitat connectivity
- Supported priority species and landscape-scale recovery
Highland cattle grazing on chalk grassland at Pegsdon Hills
Stroud Landscape Project – National Trust | Cotswolds National Landscape
This project is transforming limestone grasslands along the Cotswold escarpment, reconnecting fragmented habitats at a landscape scale. A total of 54 hectares of priority grassland will be restored and reconnected across multiple ownerships, strengthening ecological networks for wildlife. A 22-hectare wildflower seed donor site will provide the foundation for ongoing grassland restoration—supplying locally adapted seed and ensuring wildlife can flourish across the landscape for years to come.
Practical, targeted interventions—including conservation grazing and soil preparation—are informed by evidence and delivered in collaboration with landowners. Together, these actions support pollinators and invertebrates, creating a more connected landscape and giving wildlife the space it needs to move, feed, and breed safely.
Project impact
- 54 hectares of limestone grassland restored
- 22-hectare wildflower seed donor site created
- Improved habitat connectivity for pollinators and invertebrates
- Strengthened partnerships with multiple landowners
"This project demonstrates the power of partnership at landscape scale. By combining conservation grazing, bespoke wildflower seed mixes, and a network of donor sites across the Cotswold escarpment, we’re restoring and reconnecting limestone grasslands, linking fragmented habitats, and creating bigger, better, and more resilient spaces for nature and communities alike."
— Lisa Edinborough, Stroud Landscape Project Manager, National Trust
Limestone Grassland Recovery - Bath and North East Somerset Council | Bath, West of England
In urban and peri-urban landscapes, practical challenges such as site layout and limited specialist machinery can make grassland restoration difficult. This project equips Bath and North East Somerset Council with the tools needed to better manage and restore 30 hectares of limestone grassland across previously hard-to-reach sites—bringing the Council closer to its bold vision of managing 30% of its land for nature by 2030.
From wildflower-rich verges to local parks, this work is strengthening ecological connectivity, boosting pollinator populations, and bringing wildlife-rich habitats closer to communities. By embedding nature recovery into everyday operations, the Council is delivering lasting benefits for both wildlife and people.
Project impact:
- 30 hectares of limestone grassland restored
- Improved habitat connectivity and species richness
- Enhanced community access to nature
- Learning shared with regional partners to inform best practice
Species‑rich wildflower grassland
"The Big Chalk Nature Recovery Fund is a major boost to our work to enhance the management of grasslands across council parks and green spaces. With new equipment, we can now restore previously inaccessible sites, boosting biodiversity, and, together with local community groups and charities, take a big step towards managing 30% of council land for nature by 2030."
— Stuart Gardner, Nature Recovery Manager, Bath & North East Somerset Council
Water Supply Installation for Conservation Grazing - Kent County Council | Preston Hill Country Park, Kent Downs National Landscape
Installing a permanent water supply to enable livestock grazing, improve scrub habitats, and restore species-rich chalk grassland.
Alongside the projects featured here, Big Chalk is supporting a growing network of initiatives already delivering results for chalk and limestone grasslands at a landscape scale. From Hampshire Magnificent Meadows, which recently published its 2025 report detailing progress in restoring species-rich grasslands, to Glorious Cotswold Grasslands, Surrey’s ‘Old’ Grasslands Inventory, and Happy Valley SSSI/NNR, these projects are protecting, reconnecting, and enhancing priority habitats for wildlife.
In addition, Big Chalk partners, led by Plantlife International, have launched the UK’s first grassland-specific ecosystem services toolkit—a practical resource to help farmers and land managers restore species-rich grasslands, including the chalk and limestone grasslands at the heart of Big Chalk.
Partnerships driving change
Together, these projects show the power of partnership and evidence-led approaches in restoring and reconnecting our chalk and limestone grasslands. Across southern England, organisations are combining ecological expertise, practical land management, and local knowledge to rebuild the habitat networks that the amazing wildlife of our chalk and limestone landscapes depends on.
As these projects progress, we’ll continue to share updates, and lessons from across the Big Chalk Nature Recovery Fund—from nature friendly farming and bringing rare species back from the brink, to empowering communities and revitalising chalk streams— showing how strategically targeted, partnership-led action can transform isolated sites into a connected network of thriving chalk and limestone landscapes..
Join us on our journey to create nature-rich chalk and limestone landscapes that benefit all of us.
The Big Chalk programme and Nature Recovery Fund is funded through the Protected Landscapes Partnership, supported by Defra.
Do you have a project that could strengthen the future of southern England’s iconic chalk and limestone landscapes?
The Big Chalk programme brings together a dynamic suite of partner-led projects, each unique in its focus, area, and partnerships but sharing a commitment to our collective vision.
If your project contributes to the Big Chalk mission, we invite you to register it as a Big Chalk Project. Registered projects gain access to networking, shared learning, and best practice—alongside the Big Chalk brand, boosting your profile and connecting you to a powerful, growing network of partners.
Together, these projects form a united effort to secure the future of southern England’s chalk and limestone landscapes, making a lasting impact for nature and communities.