Buriton Meadows

Located within East Hampshire LPA, alongside the South Downs National Park NCA and situated in an area identified by Hampshire County Council as a Biodiversity Opportunity Area. Buriton Meadows is a prime example of our commitment to large-scale biodiversity restoration. 

Year
2024

Client
Buriton Meadows

Previously used for turf cultivation and more recently intensive grazing, the site offers vast potential for ecological enhancement. Located immediately adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Country Park and the Butser Hill National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), presents enormous opportunities to extend these natural habitats and in time, integrate the land to create a single thriving natural ecosystem measuring over 2,000 acres.

Butser Hill SSSI is an extensive area of semi-natural dry grassland and dense yew woodlands. The site supports a diversity of butterflies and is notable for its population stronghold of Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina. The calcareous yew woods are outstanding examples of a habitat with a very small representation in Britain. The occurrence of chalk grasslands and yew woodlands, alongside transitional habitat between them, combine to make this a site of outstanding nature conservation importance. 

Our plans include:

  • Planting specialist wildflower and herb seed mixes to enrich grassland biodiversity

  • Replication of the Lowland Calcerous Grassland found on the adjacent Butser Hill 

  • Creation of Floodplain Wetland Mosaic in the low-lying areas

  • Restoring boundary hedgerows to increase species diversity

  • Extending the Lowland Mixed Deciduous Woodland areas to support local fauna, including existing badger populations and a growing variety of invertebrates like the fascinating Wasp Spider already present onsite

This nationally significant project highlights our ability to transform monocultures into thriving, interconnected ecosystems that support both wildlife and community engagement.