Lead organisation
Partner organisations
University of Bristol Botanic Gardens
Project description
Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife is a long-standing, landscape-scale partnership bringing together landowners, conservationists and communities to restore and protect one of the UK’s most iconic limestone landscapes. For more than 25 years, the project has been shaping a connected mosaic of calcareous grassland, scrub, woodland and cliff habitats—where rare plants, invertebrates and people coexist.
Set across the dramatic Avon Gorge and the open expanse of the Downs, this is a landscape defined by deep time and dynamic change. Once a single sweep of grassland, the gorge—carved by glacial meltwaters—now separates but also connects a network of habitats stretching from Ashton Court and Leigh Woods to Blaise Castle. Today, the project brings these places back into ecological dialogue, demonstrating the power of connectivity at scale.
Through a focused programme of surveying and monitoring, targeted habitat management, and meaningful public engagement, the partnership is driving forward nature recovery. Winter conservation works—often carried out on rope across the gorge’s steep limestone cliffs—reduce scrub and invasive species, creating the space and light that species-rich grasslands need to recover. On the Downs, traditional hay meadow management and scrub control support the resilience of these rare habitats.
Innovative grazing approaches also play a vital role. In the Gorge’s ‘Gully’, a carefully managed herd of goats helps maintain open grassland conditions, supporting a rich assemblage of botanical species and the invertebrates that depend on them. These efforts are already helping key species return, including kidney vetch and the small blue butterfly, signalling a recovering ecosystem.
With ambitions to secure future funding and achieve Favourable Conservation Status, Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife is not just maintaining a landscape—it is actively restoring it for generations to come.
Project location
The project spans approximately 441 acres of limestone downland and a 2km-long, 90m-deep section of the Avon Gorge, including a 384-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest. Situated within the Big Chalk area, it forms a vital link in a wider network of lowland calcareous grasslands, connecting Ashton Court, Leigh Woods and Blaise Castle along the Avon corridor.
Contribution to Big Chalk
Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife captures the spirit of Big Chalk: restoring connectivity, championing rare habitats, and bringing people together to care for these extraordinary landscapes.
- Nature recovery: Restoring calcareous grasslands through scrub management, invasive control, and conservation grazing, supporting rare plants and species such as the small blue butterfly.
- Landscape connectivity: Reconnecting fragmented habitats across the Avon Gorge, Downs and surrounding landscapes, creating a resilient ecological network rooted in the Lawton principles.
- Knowledge and monitoring: Long-term ecological surveying and adaptive management ensure interventions are evidence-led and impactful.
- People and place: Engaging communities with this nationally significant landscape, building understanding, stewardship and shared pride.
Through sustained collaboration, practical conservation, and a clear long-term vision, Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife is securing the future of one of England’s most distinctive limestone landscapes—where wildlife can thrive and connections, both ecological and human, are restored.
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.