Open Downland
Landscape Character Type and Key habitats
- Unimproved lowland calcareous grassland
- Chalk Heath
- Scrub mosaic
- Deciduous woodland (as part of a wider mosaic)
Actions for nature
- Management of existing core chalk grassland sites to achieve good condition
- Expand existing sites and create buffer zones
- Reconnect chalk grassland and chalk heath sites to create species corridors
- Deciduous woodland planting but only where appropriate in the landscape and not detrimental to the expansion of calcareous grasslands
Nature-friendly actions
- Increase species diversity of semi improved grasslands
- Restore or create dew ponds
- Replant hedgerows
- Create arable margins and pollinator species corridors
- Maintain winter cover, feed crops or stubbles
Key sensitivities
- Open uninterrupted skylines
- Iconic views
- Sense of tranquillity and remoteness
- Unimproved chalk grassland and chalk heath
- Farmland mosaics of arable and pasture that support farmland bird species