A wildlife charity bought 335 hectares in Dorset; two years later, it is one of England’s newest National Nature Reserves | World News

Representative Image of a vibrant landscape of chalk grassland and wildflower meadows at Lyscombe National Nature Reserve (AI Generated Image)

In March 2024, Dorset Wildlife Trust and Natural England acquired 335 hectares of chalk downland and farmland at Lyscombe, around 10 miles north-east of Dorchester. The former organically managed farm was acquired for nature conservation and environmental restoration, with funding from Natural England’s National Nature Reserves programme and its planned nutrient mitigation credit scheme, alongside donations from Dorset Wildlife Trust members and supporters. In 2026, Lyscombe became the 16th site in the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves. Natural England formally declared the reserve on 17 August, while its new status was publicly announced and celebrated on 15 September. The formal declaration covers 333.57 hectares, while Dorset Wildlife Trust describes the original acquisition as 335 hectares. The landscape includes chalk grassland, wildflower meadows, scrub, ancient woodland and historic features, with restoration work focused on restoring habitats and creating better-connected spaces for wildlife.

From farmland to National Nature Reserve

The new status was celebrated at Lyscombe on 15 September, when Jaqueline Swift, Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, represented His Majesty the King at an event attended by Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, and Lisbet Sherlock, Chair of Dorset Wildlife Trust. Swift and Juniper unveiled the National Nature Reserve plaque, while Juniper presented Sherlock and Dorset Wildlife Trust chief executive Brian Bleese with the certificate recognising Lyscombe’s new status. The legal declaration had been made on 17 August 2026 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The reserve includes 50 hectares of nationally important chalk downland designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest and several protected heritage features. Among them is Lyscombe Chapel, a Grade II* listed building that dates from the 12th century but was partly rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. Historic England records substantial medieval fabric, including a 12th-century chancel. The nearby ruins of the Priest’s House date from the 16th century.

Restoring the chalk grassland and Little Piddle

The conservation work began before the National Nature Reserve designation. Dorset Wildlife Trust says it has removed up to 23 kilometres of outdated fencing and introduced English Longhorn cattle onto the SSSI chalk grassland. The grazing is intended to maintain the open character of the chalk grassland, prevent scrub encroachment and support biodiversity. The Trust is also pursuing restoration of the Little Piddle, which rises at Lyscombe and is a tributary of the River Piddle. Its plans include returning the stream towards a more natural course, removing concrete culverts and outdated agricultural infrastructure, and creating wetland habitat and fen meadows in the valley bottom. Dorset Wildlife Trust says that changing land management and creating new wetland habitat at Lyscombe will help reduce harmful nutrient inputs into the Poole Harbour catchment, while Natural England says the project has contributed to reducing historic pollution in the local River Piddle. The acquisition was also partly funded through Natural England’s nutrient mitigation scheme, linking the land purchase to wider efforts to reduce nutrient pollution in the Poole Harbour catchment.

Monitoring a landscape in transition

Dorset Wildlife Trust is carrying out ecological, soil and hydrological surveys to establish baselines and guide future management, with monitoring covering invertebrates, small mammals, bats, breeding birds and flora. In 2025, the Trust worked with the Environmental Sensing department at the University of Southampton to enable a student to create a virtual tour of Lyscombe using ArcGIS StoryMaps. The project incorporated drone data collected at the site and included a 3D model of the landscape. The Trust also reports that barn owls have returned since the acquisition, which it links to a resurgence of small mammals in the fields and hedgerows. That is an observation reported by the Trust rather than an independent assessment of the cause. Alongside the ecological work, Dorset Wildlife Trust is working with Historic England on heritage features including the chapel and the ruined Priest’s House, while also planning restoration of existing barns. The project therefore combines habitat restoration and wildlife monitoring with the protection of a landscape containing significant archaeological and historic features.

A long-term project beyond the reserve

Lyscombe’s National Nature Reserve designation gives national recognition to a project that began with the 2024 acquisition, but the restoration itself is intended to continue for years. Natural England describes the reserve as 334 hectares and says it has potential to contribute to nature recovery across the wider 5,700-hectare Dorset Downs landscape. Dorset Wildlife Trust’s plans combine conservation management of the existing SSSI with natural regeneration and a rewilding approach across wider parts of the site. The Trust says the land is likely to develop into a mosaic of grassland, scrub and wood pasture, supported by appropriate grazing and natural regeneration. Lyscombe already supports at least six orchid species, including pyramidal and bee orchids, as well as chalkhill blue butterflies and other wildlife. The reserve’s new status does not mark the completion of that work. Instead, it formally recognises the national importance of the landscape while Dorset Wildlife Trust continues its longer-term programme of habitat restoration, ecological monitoring, conservation grazing and work to reconnect Lyscombe with the wider Dorset Downs.