A major new project aiming to bring wildlife back to Wiltshire’s chalk landscapes has been given the green light after Wiltshire Wildlife Trust secured more than £150,000 in funding.
The Chalkland Revival project has been awarded £152,028 through the Farming in a Protected Landscape programme run by the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. The scheme unites five farm clusters – stretching across 40,000 hectares – in a landscape-scale effort to restore nature and support sustainable farming.
At its heart, the project focuses on reversing the decline of farmland birds such as the northern lapwing, a species which has seen dramatic reductions in numbers. Farmers will receive support including electric fencing to protect nests, specially planted brood cover strips, and signage to prevent disturbance during the breeding season. New acoustic monitors – essentially listening posts that record birdsong – will also be used to track populations across farms.
Carrie Starbuck, Director of Nature Recovery at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, called it “a rare opportunity” to demonstrate the power of farmer collaboration. She said:
“By combining practical action for species like the lapwing with innovative monitoring and collaborative planning for deer management, we can make a real, landscape-scale difference.”
As well as bird conservation, the project will work with the British Deer Society to address the challenges of rising deer numbers. Overgrazing is threatening young woodland and biodiversity, so the project will create a Deer Management Action Plan and explore the potential for wild venison to become a sustainable local food source.
Climate resilience is another key strand, with experts mapping historic “ghost ponds” and identifying opportunities for new wetlands. These features will create habitats for wildlife and help manage flooding naturally.
The partnership – which includes FWAG South East, Future Nature, Wild Oxfordshire, the Soil Association and Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre – will also host a series of public and farmer events. These will range from practical workshops on habitat creation to sessions on deer management, with a final event in 2026 to share the project’s successes.
David McAuley, CEO of the British Deer Society, said:
“Responsible and effective deer management that balances healthy populations with biodiversity and climate action can only be achieved through collaboration. This project is exactly the kind of model we need.”
Katharine Cook, Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer for the North Wessex Downs, added:
“This is a fantastic example of what the programme is designed to achieve – farmer-led projects that deliver for nature, climate, people and place.”
Running until March 2026, Chalkland Revival represents one of the most ambitious farmer-led conservation initiatives ever seen in the North Wessex Downs.
Full details and event listings will be made available at wiltshirewildlife.org.
