Dover Downlands Project

The Dover Downlands Project aims to increase and improve chalk downlands and associated biodiversity in the Dover area of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Why are we embarking on this project?

Chalk grasslands support a very high diversity of native wild plants and animals, including many nationally and internationally rare and important species.

By improving, and enlarging the scale of, these increasingly rare chalk grasslands, we aim to support an ecosystem that is home to rare species of butterflies, crickets, wildflowers, soil invertebrates, and the charismatic red-billed chough - to name but a few.

The project’s actions will also increase the landscape’s connectivity for the benefit of both wildlife and people. We are working with local contractors, volunteers, and other landowners/managers and graziers on sites such as Coombe Down, Lydden Temple Ewell, and Nemo Down to facilitate this project.

Farming in protected landscapes (FiPL)

A large part of the FiPL-funded project area is predominantly managed by Kent Wildlife Trust conservation grazing, allowing natural grazing processes to nurture the landscape. Our Konik Ponies and Highland Cattle for example, maintain an open and biodiversity-rich grassland along parts of the beautiful Dover Downlands AONB. We shall also be engaging with many other grazed sites including local farms.

Did you know? You can find up to 40 species of plants in a single square metre of chalk downland!

The dung beetle

It is estimated that the humble dung beetle (a resident of Dover’s grazed chalk downlands) provides a natural service to the farming industry by removing animal faeces (and related parasites) and aerating the soil - this activity is worth hundreds of millions of pounds every year and dung beetles do it all for free.

Find out more about the dung beetle

We will be running a series of dung beetle workshops exploring the role they play in supporting soil health, and subsequent related field study days, aimed at those working with livestock in the area, to open a conversation about the benefits of appropriate livestock grazing to chalk downland, soil health, and biodiversity.                                                                                      

Get Involved

We are working with the local community including local livestock farmers, landowners/managers, graziers, equine managers, veterinary advisors, volunteers, as well as any other interested parties, to help the project succeed.

We’d love to engage as many people as possible with this project, so if you’d like to volunteer on one of our Dover area reserves, join one of our workshops taking place during 2023, or require some more information, then please contact Adam Lowe (Dover Area Landscape Project Officer): adam.lowe@kentwildlife.org.uk, 07483 016261

Adam Lowe is Kent Wildlife Trust’s Dover Area Landscape Project Officer and is leading the Dover Downlands project. From a viticultural background, Adam has worked on and managed vineyards across the county. Having more recently been working in the Blean area with Kent Wildlife Trust, he has now combined his passions for farming and wildlife to deliver this exciting project.

“I’m eagerly looking forward to engaging with the wide range of local communities that will be involved in helping make this project a success for people and wildlife across our stunning downlands.”