Lead Organisation
Project Description
This project will unlock the restoration of Wascoombe Bottom - 64 acres of precious chalk grassland within Butser Hill National Nature Reserve (SSSI) - by bringing water where none exists. Without it, conservation grazing has been impossible.
With it, we can bring this habitat back to life. Portsmouth Water will lay 120 metres of pipe from the mains supply to the reserve boundary, connecting to an internal network that feeds four troughs across the upper and lower slopes. This single intervention removes the barrier that has held back restoration for years.
Once operational, livestock will return to manage scrub, open up the grassland, and create the conditions for orchids, cowslips, harebells, and the pollinators they sustain to flourish again. This isn't a standalone effort, it is the keystone project of a three-year programme that includes scrub clearance and fencing across Butser Hill. Together, these works will deliver lasting nature recovery, transforming degraded land into thriving, species-rich chalk grassland for generations to come.
Project location
Wascoombe Bottom lies within the South Downs, a key component of the Big Chalk Programme area. Restoring this site will strengthen ecological connectivity across the chalk landscape, contributing to the programme’s vision of large-scale habitat recovery and resilience.
Fit with the Big Chalk Programme
This project strikes at the heart of Big Chalk's mission: restoring priority chalk grassland, making conservation grazing possible, and pushing back scrub that threatens to smother rare habitat. It doesn't stand alone; it is woven into the fabric of landscape-scale restoration across the South Downs, strengthening our collective drive to meet biodiversity targets and prove that coordinated action delivers real, measurable recovery.
Wider social and environmental considerations
This project will breathe life back into the land by enriching soils, multiplying floral diversity, and creating havens for pollinators and the web of species that make chalk grasslands thrive. It's not a quick fix but a permanent solution, ensuring this nationally important site can be managed sustainably for decades to come while building climate resilience through reduced wildfire risk and enhanced carbon storage in healthy, living grassland.
Crucially, by partnering with Portsmouth Water on the project it is hoped a longer-term working relationship can be entrenched. Without their infrastructure, expertise, and willingness to invest in nature recovery, the water simply wouldn't reach the reserve. This collaboration demonstrates how utility providers can be powerful allies in landscape restoration, turning essential services into catalysts for biodiversity gain.
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.