The Kent Downs-A Talk by Dan Tuson

24th January 2025

I attended a great talk by Dan Tuson at Adisham Village Hall last night. Dan has spent most of his working life in the Kent Downs and is responsible for the East Kent Downs Landscape Recovery Project managed through Natural England. There are 4 aspects to this: Habitat Creation, Nature Friendly Farming, Workshops and Public Engagement. Many farms across the region are involved to a greater or lesser extent, creating bird seed plots and field margin arable weed strips, preserving original chalk downland pockets, planting and laying native species hedgerows etc.

Creating a new generation of wildflower grasslands has been a major focus of the project, connecting with existing pockets of original downland. Apart from increasing biodiversity these, in the longer term, will improve water quality and aid carbon capture. The correct management of these grasslands is crucial. As a result, population improvements have been noted with the Duke of Burgundy butterfly and the Black-veined Moth which is only found in the UK in the Chartham, Wye and Crundale area.

A more recent project has involved the planting of disease resistant Elm trees in areas where a few mature Elms are still to be found. These have existing but fragile populations of the White Letter Hairstreak Butterfly, the larvae of which, feed on Elm tree leaves. Again, creating corridors to new food sources will aid the recovery of this species.

The success of the EKDLRP cannot be over-stated. Many species have spread and many have come back from the brink. Such species mentioned included Chalkhill, Adonis and Small Blue butterflies, birds such as Yellowhammers, Corn Buntings, Stonechats, Turtle Doves and Barn Owls, invertebrates like Glow Worms, Bush Crickets and Sussex Emerald Moths and plants such as Man Orchids, Red Hemp Nettle and Kentish Milkwort. There are many, many more.

Dan has been a tremendous communicator with the farming community and we, the landscape and the wildlife of Kent have a lot to thank him for.

Alan Cooke