Name: Big Chalk
Price range: $

Lead organisation

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust

Partner organisations

Project description

Chalkland Revival is a bold, landscape-scale collaboration uniting five farm clusters across the North Wessex Downs, covering over 40,000 hectares of iconic chalk landscape. This pioneering project demonstrates what’s possible when farmers, landowners, and conservation partners work together across boundaries to deliver joined-up nature recovery at scale.

The project tackles urgent challenges for farmland wildlife and habitats. It supports lapwing recovery through predator control, habitat improvements, and protective measures; uses acoustic monitoring to track farmland birds and inform adaptive management; provides winter feeding for seed-eating birds to boost survival; and implements landscape-scale deer management, linking conservation with sustainable venison supply chains.

Chalkland Revival also identifies opportunities for wetland creation, improving biodiversity, water quality, and flood resilience, and culminates in an end-of-project event to share lessons, celebrate achievements, and inspire future collaboration.

By combining innovation, practical action, and collective ambition, Chalkland Revival is restoring wildlife, supporting sustainable farming, and leaving a lasting legacy across the North Wessex Downs.

Project location

Chalkland Revival spans the North Wessex Downs, covering five farm clusters across the chalk landscape, forming a connected network for wildlife and people alike.

Contribution to Big Chalk

Chalkland Revival embodies the Big Chalk vision: uniting people and nature to create thriving landscapes, resilient ecosystems, and a future where wildlife and farming flourish together.

Nature recovery: Supporting lapwing and farmland birds, deer management, pond and wetland creation, and habitat restoration across 40,000+ hectares.
Public goods and sustainable products: Exploring local venison supply chains, linking conservation action with sustainable food and livelihoods.
Collaboration and community: Farmer-led clusters, collective action, knowledge sharing, and training create lasting capacity for landscape-scale nature recovery.

Through collaboration, innovation, and practical action, Chalkland Revival is setting a new benchmark for how farmland clusters can restore nature, enhance biodiversity, and leave a lasting legacy across chalk landscapes.

Black and white cows grazing on a sloping grassy field in a rural landscape, with rolling hills and dense green woodland in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Northern lapwing standing on green grass with iridescent plumage, black crest, and white face, photographed in a natural habitat.

Green tractor with red wheels mowing grass in a large open field under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Freshly cut grass rows are visible in the foreground, and trees line the background.

Person adjusting a green electronic device attached to a wooden post in an open agricultural field. The post is wrapped with black cable and red-and-white tape, and the background shows rows of green crops under a clear blue sky.

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.