Queendown WarrenKent Wildlife Trust BNG offset site

Site description

Located in Sittingbourne just south of the M2 motorway, Queendown Warren is a large 76.5 ha Kent Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve containing a mixture of arable farmland, chalk grassland, open pasture, and woodland. Owing to their excellent wildlife assemblage, the woodland and chalk grasslands to the north of the site are protected under several designations, including Site of Special Scientific Interest, Local Nature Reserve, and Special Area for Conservation. They grasslands are home to an array of wildflowers, with ten species of orchid recorded here, including Lizard, Pyramidal, Fragrant, Early Spider, Man, Bee, Green-winged, and Autumn Ladies Tresses. A number of other chalk grassland plants act as nectar sources and larval foodplants for the numerous butterfly species present on site. The Adonis Blue butterfly was reintroduced to the site in 2002 and can be seen tumbling in the sky with the Chalk Hill and Common Blues on hot summer days, whilst Silver-spotted Skippers and their kin live up to their name by bouncing along the turf tenaciously chasing anything that crosses their path. In addition, nightingales and turtle doves, some of the UK's most vulnerable Red List species are both known to breed here.

The Biodiversity Net Gain site covers 35.26 ha of the land south of Warren Lane. Currently the site is neutral pasture, used for grazing and cut for hay. However, the land has potential to be restored to the same standard for wildlife as the adjacent SSSI with BNG investment.

The valley bottom will be managed as lowland meadow with a series of newly created ponds, which will help to hold water in the landscape and provide drinking water for animals.

Meanwhile the rest of the site will be restored to chalk grassland, which, when the right soil conditions are achieved, will be gradually colonised by the flora and fauna seen in the northern part of the reserve.

In addition, dense patches of mixed scrub will be allowed to develop throughout the site, designed to present nesting opportunities for the critically endangered turtle dove and nightingale, as well as providing shelter for a host of other species.

A minimum intervention approach using conservation grazing by cattle, sheep, and ponies will be used to implement these plans. This approach will encourage natural processes to lead the way, creating a more resilient and wild landscape.

Queendown Warren is a publicly accessible nature reserve with a car park and network of walking trails, so BNG investment at this site will improve the quality of recreational greenspace for local communities.

Habitat Transitions