Landscape Scale Conservation
Yesterday (31 October), Steve Wheatley (BC Regional Officer) and I joined a team from the Forestry Commission, to sign off on the completion of an ambitious woodland enhancement project. The Veolia funded
Pearls of Charlton Forest is a partnership project conceived as an offshoot of BC
Fritillaries for the Future (supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ernest Klienwort Charitable Trust and our members/supporters) and sits within an even larger area encompassing Heyshott Escarpment, Heyshott Down and Graffham Down.
This conservation effort, conducted on a truly landscape scale, will benefit a wealth of wildlife, including butterflies such as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper. Rare moths, including the Drab Looper, which has been assisted by another BC project in the area, will also benefit greatly.
This is the largest conservation project I've ever been involved with, and I came away full of optimism for the future of this part of Sussex; I suspect the benefits will be felt far beyond the project area in years to come. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved (too many to mention individually), including funders, partners, volunteers and contractors.
The project has involved the creation of wide rides, huge scallops along woodland edges, and vast box-junctions, which are now being maintained on a rotational basis. These images provide just a snapshot of the work, which extends over several kilometres. Just a few years ago, this was mainly dark and cool 'Speckled Wood country'.
Now comes the task of monitoring such a large area. I will be setting up a fixed route over which butterflies, day-flying moths and other wildlife will be recorded, and welcome any assistance. This will require considerable time and a quite high level of fitness, but the rewards should greatly exceed the effort. Anyone wishing to be involved should contact me over the winter.