Changing Chalk

What did the project do?

Changing Chalk was a four-year partnership project involving 10 core partners: National Trust (overall project lead), Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, Buglife, Lewes and Eastbourne Councils, Natural England, Railway Land Wildlife Trust, South Downs National Park Authority, Sussex Wildlife Trust and The Living Coast Biosphere.

It focused on a 458 square km area, at the eastern end of the South Downs, much of which falls within the South Downs National Park, as well as areas beyond the park boundaries and neighbouring the Downs, including the communities of the coastal fringe between Brighton & Hove, Lewes and Eastbourne.

This project has given landowners, farmers and vineyard managers an understanding of insect pollinators, what they need and how best to manage both chalk grassland and the farmed landscape with them in mind. It’s also enabled a new population of Wart-biter Bush-crickets to be established. Read the National Trust’s End of Project Report for a full breakdown of activities and achievements.

Landscapes for Wild Pollinators

Landscapes for Wild Pollinators explored ways to improve the chalk landscape for our declining insect pollinators; providing information and advice on how to manage and link wildflower habitats in B-Lines with landowners, land managers and community groups, so pollinators can move freely across the South Downs area.

• 50+ hectares of land is now under improved management, after pollinator surveys and enhancement plans were developed with 34 landowners and farmers.
• 250+ landowners, managers and farmers attended workshops, talks and farm walks on how to manage land with pollinators in mind.
• 65 volunteers got involved with monitoring some of our rare pollinators species in the project areas, like the Large Scabious Mining Bee (Andrena hattorfiana) and Potter Flower Bee (Anthophora retusa).

Additionally, workshops, talks and training for the local community were run on subjects such as butterfly identification, pollinator identification and how to carry out FIT counts. Working with our project partners, we also delivered introductions to pollinators to a range of audiences that might not normally access the countryside, including health and wellbeing groups, youth clubs, women from the International Network of Women and young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETS).

Sustainable Vineyards

Sustainable Vineyards worked with vineyard owners and managers from a growing vineyard industry in the Changing Chalk project area to see how they can help our wild insect pollinators. Habitat assessments were carried out, as were two wildflower seed trials, working with Sussex University students at 2 vineyards. Additionally:

• 20+ vineyard owners and managers attended workshops on how to improve land management for pollinating and predatory insects.
• One public event was held at a vineyard to demonstrate how vineyard management and wildlife can be compatible.
• We produced an on-line resource on how to manage vineyards with invertebrates in mind.

Wart-biter Bush-cricket – Species Recovery

The final Buglife-led project was a species recovery programme for the stunning Wart-biter Bush-cricket.  Known from just six sites in the UK, four of which are within the Changing Chalk project area, we re-surveyed for potential re-introduction sites. We created a long-term monitoring programme to safeguard the future of the species, and engaged with landowners to better manage their land for Wart-biters.
In total:

• 32 Wart-biters were translocated to a new site.
• 30 volunteers recruited, trained and contributed to Wart-biter monitoring during the project with a core continuing post project.
• 300+ people engaged with Wart-biters through walks, talks and webinars including those that might not normally access the countryside.

Take a look at our video below to find out more about the Wart-biter Bush-cricket.

Can I still get involved?

You can still get involved with our Wart-biter Bush-cricket project as it is continuing with new funding for another three years. If you’d like to get involved with surveys for this species, please get in touch with Conservation Officer Alice Parfitt via email [email protected].

Find out more about the crickets and grasshoppers of Britain and get involved with recording these fascinating creatures with the Orthoptera Recording Scheme.

Or join a recording scheme and log your pollinator sightings – download the iRecord app and get recording! Take part in the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme and carry out  FIT counts or add your flower-rich habitat to our B-Lines map.