Calls to restore chalk grassland for rare insects

Buglife says the project aims to restore more than 30 hectares of the vital ecosystem.

Natural England has expanded its chalk grassland restoration project this month, targeting the preservation of rare insect populations across southern England. The agency aims to connect fragmented habitats by restoring thousands of hectares of lime-rich soil, a move environmentalists say is essential to reversing the decline of specialized pollinators like the Adonis blue butterfly.

A major ecological restoration project is underway to revive more than 30 hectares (75 acres) of chalk grassland, one of Europe’s most threatened ecosystems that serves as critical habitat for numerous rare insect species.