West Sussex town ‘must be one of the greenest in England’
A new series of fortnightly articles supported by the Knepp Wildland Foundation to further understanding of nature recovery in Sussex
Apurple haze of Devil’s-bit scabious flowers stretches out before me and the air is heavy with the intoxicating scent of herb-rich chalk grassland, writes ecologist Neil Hulme.
A flash of iridescent turquoise catches my eye – the ‘jewel in the crown’ of downland butterflies, the Adonis Blue, has returned to the area.
Much has changed here, for the better. In 2007, the Goring family set aside 66 hectares of their land ‘for the benefit of the community, the land and its wildlife’ – the Steyning Downland Scheme (SDS) was born.
The project gained charitable status in 2009 and has proven so successful that it received a glowing mention in Parliament last year.
This beautiful site to the west of Steyning comprises a former rifle range, chalk grassland slopes, woodland and a series of spring-fed ponds. As one climbs higher, panoramic views open up across the Weald, Ad ur Valley and along the downs to the east – it’s a magical place.
The site had not been grazed since the 1980s, leading to such serious decline that coarse grasses and scrub had smothered the delicate chalk grassland flowers. Thanks to the vision of the Wiston Estate and efforts of the energetic SDS volunteers, ably assisted by a herd of Dexter cattle, the land has undergone a quite remarkable recovery, which continues today.
Progress was assisted by the Dukes of Steyning project (2014-2016), supported by the South Downs National Park Authority and other partners. It aimed to ‘restore, expand and reconnect patches of fragmented and declining chalk grassland to benefit the rare Duke of
Burgundy butterfly and other wildlife’. Butterfly identification and recording workshops were enthusiastically attended and an army of volunteers has been monitoring the site ever since.
Other activities have included the harvesting of seed under the guidance of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership and subsequent planting-out of thousands of cowslips and primroses – the Duke of Burgundy’s caterpillar foodplant.
The Duke, which was rescued from the very brink of extinction in Sussex 15 years ago, colonised the site in 2020 – a major conservation victory. The ponds are being restored, bot any surveys are confirming increased floral diversity, the Bird Survey Group has scored a century of species and Adders are afforded a quiet refuge. The elusive Brown Hairstreak has responded well to coppicing of the Blackthorn, drawing butterfly enthusiasts from far and wide. Disease-resistantelm trees have been planted to replace those lost from the landscape. A wide range of nature-based activitiesand community events for all ages can be found at www.steyningdownland.org
The small charity and community group Steyning for Trees does what it says on the tin. Established in 2019 and affiliated to the Steyning Society, it aims to fight climate change by planting trees and hedges on public and private land.
Steyning Community Orchard, formed in 2014, is about to restore or plant its fifth orchard, thereby conserving a range of Sussex heritage varieties.
And Greening Steyningi san informal voluntary group started in 2010. It’s working to create a sustainable, low-carbon future for the town and villages of Bramber and Beeding.
Steyning must be one of the greenest town sin England.