Kent is a county in the south-eastern corner of England. It is bounded to the north by Greater London and the Thames Estuary, to the west by Sussex and Surrey, and to the south and east by the English Channel and the North Sea. The county town is Maidstone. [1] It is governed by Kent County Council, with twelve district councils, Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells. Medway is a separate unitary authority. [2] [3] The chalk hills of the North Downs run from east to west through the county, with the wooded Weald to the south. The coastline is alternately flat and cliff-lined. [1]
Local nature reserves are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. Local nature reserves are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically. Local authorities have a duty to care for them and can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect them. [4] [5]
As of May 2018, there are 42 local nature reserves in the county. [6] Thirteen are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, five are Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, three are Nature Conservation Review sites, five are Special Protection Areas under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, two are Special Areas of Conservation, one is a Geological Conservation Review site, one includes a scheduled monument, one is a national nature reserve, five are managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust and one is owned by Plantlife.
Site | Photograph | Area [lower-alpha 1] | Location [lower-alpha 2] | Borough | Other classifications | Map [lower-alpha 3] | Details [lower-alpha 4] | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ambley Wood | 14.0 hectares (35 acres) | Gillingham 51°21′40″N0°34′23″E / 51.361°N 0.573°E TQ 792 656 | Medway | Map | Details | The site has ancient woodland with typical woodland flora. [7] | ||
Ashford Community Woodland | 13.8 hectares (34 acres) | Ashford 51°08′10″N0°50′02″E / 51.136°N 0.834°E TQ 984 412 | Ashford | Map | Details | Most of this broadleaf wood was planted in 1985, and there is also rough grassland and scrub. Birds include the endangered skylark and yellowhammer and there butterflies such as marbled whites and small skippers. [8] | ||
Ashford Green Corridors | 47.4 hectares (117 acres) | Ashford 51°08′28″N0°52′30″E / 51.141°N 0.875°E TR 012 419 | Ashford | Map | Details | This site has a lake, ponds, pollarded trees, a meadow and parkland. Birds on Singleton Lake include kingfishers. [9] | ||
Barnett's Wood | 12.4 hectares (31 acres) | Tunbridge Wells 51°09′29″N0°16′41″E / 51.158°N 0.278°E TQ 594 423 | Tunbridge Wells | Map | Details | This site has ancient, semi-natural woodland and unimproved grassland. The meadows are grazed by cattle, and wildflowers include bird's-foot trefoil, common spotted orchid, cuckooflower, sneezewort, oxeye daisy and common knapweed. [10] | ||
Baty's Marsh | 10.4 hectares (26 acres) | Rochester 51°22′37″N0°29′02″E / 51.377°N 0.484°E TQ 730 672 | Medway | Map | Details | This is one of the few remaining salt marshes in the Medway area, and it has a rich fauna, especially wading birds. [11] | ||
Berengrave Chalk Pit | 9.5 hectares (23 acres) | Rainham 51°22′23″N0°36′47″E / 51.373°N 0.613°E TQ 820 670 | Medway | Map | Details | There is a small lake in a disused chalk pit, and other habitats are scrub, woodland and reedbeds, which flood an area of willow carr. [12] | ||
Bishopstone Cliffs | 67.4 hectares (167 acres) | Herne Bay 51°22′34″N1°10′37″E / 51.376°N 1.177°E TR 212 689 | Canterbury | Ramsar, [13] SPA, [14] SSSI [15] | Map | Details | This is a grassland site on the top of cliffs, and it has some rare insect species. Sand martins nest in holes in the cliffs, and other birds include skylarks, meadow pipits and corn buntings. [16] | |
Boxley Warren | 83.0 hectares (205 acres) | Maidstone 51°18′54″N0°31′37″E / 51.315°N 0.527°E TQ 762 603 | Maidstone | SAC, [17] SM, [18] SSSI [19] | Map | Details | This site is yew woodland with a diverse fauna and flora. It includes the White Horse Stone, a Neolithic standing stone which is a scheduled monument. [18] [20] | |
Bus Company Island | 1.1 hectares (2.7 acres) | Canterbury 51°16′59″N1°04′48″E / 51.283°N 1.080°E TR 149 583 | Canterbury | Map | Details | This is important as a reptile monitoring site. [21] It was formerly a watermill, and then a bus park. It is now a meadow and orchard. [22] | ||
Crane Valley | 0.8 hectares (2.0 acres) | Cranbrook 51°05′35″N0°31′55″E / 51.093°N 0.532°E TQ 774 357 | Tunbridge Wells | Map | Details | Much of this site is wet woodland with lush vegetation, including the locally rare large bitter-cress. There is semi-natural woodland in drier areas, with oak, hornbeam and field maple. [23] | ||
Curtis Wood | 5.3 hectares (13 acres) | Herne Bay 51°20′42″N1°07′37″E / 51.345°N 1.127°E TR 179 653 | Canterbury | Map | Details | This wood has a diverse ground flora including early purple and greater butterfly orchids. There is also a semi-improved meadow. [24] | ||
Darland Banks | 29.1 hectares (72 acres) | Gillingham 51°21′43″N0°33′54″E / 51.362°N 0.565°E TQ 787 657 | Medway | KWT [25] | Map | Details | This area of grassland, scrub and woodland has diverse fauna and flora, including the largest population of man orchids in Britain. There are birds such as willow warbler, yellowhammer, linnet and lesser whitethroat. [25] [26] | |
Ditton Quarry | 5.6 hectares (14 acres) | Aylesford 51°17′28″N0°27′29″E / 51.291°N 0.458°E TQ 715 575 | Tonbridge and Malling | Map | Details | This former quarry has grassland and scrub, with diverse fauna including butterflies, foxes, rabbits, frogs, toads and newts. The meadow is rich in wild flowers. [27] | ||
Dryhill | 9.4 hectares (23 acres) | Sevenoaks 51°16′34″N0°08′56″E / 51.276°N 0.149°E TQ 499 552 | Sevenoaks | GCR, [28] SSSI [29] | Map | Details | This former quarry exposes rocks dating to the Aptian stage in the early Cretaceous, around 120 million years ago. It is famous for its rich and diverse brachiopod and bivalve fossils, which are important for palaeoecological research. [30] | |
Farningham Wood | 69.3 hectares (171 acres) | Dartford 51°23′28″N0°12′43″E / 51.391°N 0.212°E TQ 540 681 | Sevenoaks | SSSI [31] | Map | Details | This wood has a variety of soil conditions, resulting in a diverse ground flora and invertebrates, some of which are typical of ancient woodland. Ponds in the middle support several species of amphibian, and the nationally rare hoverfly volucella inanis has been recorded on the site. [32] | |
Foal Hurst Wood | 12.9 hectares (32 acres) | Paddock Wood 51°10′19″N0°22′23″E / 51.172°N 0.373°E TQ 660 441 | Tunbridge Wells | Map | Details | This site is mainly coppiced woodland and there is grassland at the northern end. Birds include green and great spotted woodpeckers, and there are flora such as orchids. [33] | ||
Folkestone Warren | 83.6 hectares (207 acres) | Folkestone 51°05′28″N1°12′11″E / 51.091°N 1.203°E TR 244 373 | Folkestone and Hythe | SSSI [34] | Map | Details | These chalk cliffs have several nationally rare plants and they provide a location for cliff nesting and wintering birds. The SSSI also contains two internationally important reference sites for study of the Cretaceous period. [35] | |
Foxburrow Wood | 6.1 hectares (15 acres) | Rainham 51°21′00″N0°35′56″E / 51.350°N 0.599°E TQ 811 644 | Medway | Map | Details | This is a remnant of a much larger historic wood, and it has flora which are indicators of ancient woodland such as herb paris and bluebells. [36] | ||
Foxes Cross Bottom | 4.0 hectares (9.9 acres) | Whitstable 51°19′55″N1°00′11″E / 51.332°N 1.003°E TR 093 635 | Canterbury | Map | Details | This site has diverse habitats of grassland, scrub, broadleaved woodland, ponds, ditches and hedges. The meadows are grazed by ponies and highland cattle. [37] | ||
Haysden Country Park | 64 hectares (160 acres) [38] | Tonbridge 51°11′31″N0°14′49″E / 51.192°N 0.247°E TQ 571 460 | Tonbridge and Malling | Not available | Details | The River Medway goes through this site and there are two lakes. Other habitats are marshes, woods and grassland, and flora include Dyer's Greenweed and narrow leaved water dropwort. [39] | ||
High Meadow | 21.3 hectares (53 acres) | Dover 51°07′44″N1°17′20″E / 51.129°N 1.289°E TR 302 418 | Dover | Map | Details | This hilltop meadow has views in all directions. It is grazed by konik horses, which help to preserve the variety of plants and animals. Flora include fragrant, common spotted and pyramidal orchids. [40] | ||
Hilbert Woods | 14.3 hectares (35 acres) | Tunbridge Wells 51°08′35″N0°16′34″E / 51.143°N 0.276°E TQ 593 407 | Tunbridge Wells | Map | Details | This gently sloping wood has oak, hazel and beech on the dry upper slopes, and alder on lower and wetter areas running down to a stream. The insect fauna is rich and diverse, including rare species. [41] | ||
Hothfield Common | 56.6 hectares (140 acres) | Ashford 51°10′41″N0°48′50″E / 51.178°N 0.814°E TQ 968 458 | Ashford | KWT, [42] SSSI [43] | Map | Details | This site has areas of heath and the best valley bog in the county, both habitats which are uncommon in Kent. Over a thousand insect species have been recorded, several of which are nationally rare, such as the bee Lasioglossum semilucens and the cranefly Tipula holoptera . [44] | |
Jumping Downs | 5.7 hectares (14 acres) | Canterbury 51°11′38″N1°08′10″E / 51.194°N 1.136°E TR 192 485 | Canterbury | Map | Details | Adders, viviparous lizards and slow worms have been recorded on this chalk downland site. Mammals include wood mice and pygmy shrews. [45] | ||
Larkey Valley Wood | 44.4 hectares (110 acres) | Canterbury 51°15′25″N1°02′38″E / 51.257°N 1.044°E TR 125 553 | Canterbury | SSSI [46] | Map | Details | This wood has a diverse ground flora with some uncommon plants and many breeding birds, such as tree pipits, nuthatches and hawfinches. Flora include the scarce lady orchid. [47] | |
Levan Strice | 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) | Gillingham 51°20′38″N0°35′10″E / 51.344°N 0.586°E TQ 802 637 | Medway | Map | Details | This site is a fragment of ancient woodland and associated flora surrounded by houses. [48] | ||
No Man's Orchard | 4.1 hectares (10 acres) | Canterbury 51°16′30″N1°01′16″E / 51.275°N 1.021°E TR 108 572 | Canterbury | Map | Details | "No man's land" means an area which straddles two areas of ownership, in this case the boundary between the parishes of Chartham and Harbledown. It is one of the few remaining traditional orchards in the Stour Valley. [49] | ||
Oare Marshes | 71.4 hectares (176 acres) | Faversham 51°20′38″N0°53′10″E / 51.344°N 0.886°E TR 011 645 | Swale | KWT, [50] NCR, [51] NNR, [52] Ramsar, [53] SPA [54] SSSI [55] | Map | Details | This site has salt marshes, fresh water dykes and reed beds. It is of international importance for migratory, overwintering and breeding wetland birds, such as avocets, marsh harriers and shovelers. [50] | |
Poulton Wood | 10.2 hectares (25 acres) | Ashford 51°05′24″N0°56′13″E / 51.090°N 0.937°E TR 058 364 | Ashford | Map | Details | This is a woodland of coppiced oak, hornbeam and ash, and spring flowers include bluebells. [56] It is managed as a conservation project providing training in subjects such as coppice management and woodcrafts. [57] | ||
Prince's Beachlands | 6.0 hectares (15 acres) | Ramsgate 51°17′56″N1°22′26″E / 51.299°N 1.374°E TR 353 610 | Dover | KWT, [58] NCR, [59] Ramsar, [60] SAC, [61] [62] SPA, [63] SSSI [64] | Map | Details | This site has diverse habitats and it is internationally important for its seabirds. It is also notable for its butterflies, fungi and reptiles. [65] | |
Queendown Warren | 22.2 hectares (55 acres) | Rainham 51°20′10″N0°37′23″E / 51.336°N 0.623°E TQ 828 629 | Swale | KWT, [66] NCR, [67] Plantlife, [68] SAC, [69] [70] SSSI [71] | Map | Details | This site has dry grassland and woodland on a south facing slope. It has two rare plants, early spider orchid and meadow clary, and a rich variety of insects. [72] | |
Rectory Meadow | 2.2 hectares (5.4 acres) | Longfield 51°23′35″N0°18′11″E / 51.393°N 0.303°E TQ 603 685 | Dartford | Map | Details | This site has chalk grassland and woodland. 193 species of flora have been recorded, including man orchids and cornflowers. [73] | ||
Rede Common | 11.2 hectares | Strood 51°23.7157N 0°28.3164E TQ71946920 | Strood | Details | Known locally as Sandy Banks due to the underlying geology of sandstone, Rede Common was formerly farmland used for grazing, arable and market gardening and is now an area of open acid grasslands surrounded by scrub and trees. | |||
River Len | 1.7 hectares (4.2 acres) | Maidstone 51°16′16″N0°31′59″E / 51.271°N 0.533°E TQ 768 555 | Maidstone | Map | Details | This small site in an urban area next the River Len has some uncommon species such as water voles and soldier beetles. [74] | ||
Romney Warren | 10.9 hectares (27 acres) | New Romney 50°59′49″N0°57′36″E / 50.997°N 0.960°E TR 078 261 | Folkestone and Hythe | KWT, [75] Ramsar, [76] SSSI [77] | Map | Details | This site is formed from ancient sand dunes which have been left behind as the sea has retreated over the last two thousand years, and it has plants such as sea spurrey. There are also ponds left by gravel extraction, some permanent and others which dry out in the summer. [78] | |
Seasalter Levels | 71.4 hectares (176 acres) | Whitstable 51°20′17″N0°59′28″E / 51.338°N 0.991°E TR 084 641 | Canterbury | Ramsar, [53] SPA, [54] SSSI [55] | Map | Details | This freshwater grazing marsh is important for wildfowl and wading birds such as wigeons, redshanks, lapwings, mallards and shelducks. [79] | |
South Bank of the Swale | 410.5 hectares (1,014 acres) | Whitstable 51°21′00″N0°56′17″E / 51.350°N 0.938°E TR 047 653 | Canterbury | KWT, [80] Ramsar, [53] SPA, [54] SSSI [55] | Map | Details | This coastal site has wetland and grassland, with mudflats which attract a large population of waders and wildfowl in winter. Flora include yellow horned-poppies, sea-lavender, golden samphires and wild carrots. [80] | |
South Wood | 6.6 hectares (16 acres) | Gillingham 51°20′46″N0°33′58″E / 51.346°N 0.566°E TQ 788 639 | Medway | Map | Details | This wood was formerly used for timber, and it is now managed as a nature reserve. It has a population of dormice, which are rare in Britain and continental Europe. [81] | ||
Tyler Hill Meadow | 0.8 hectares (2.0 acres) | Canterbury 51°18′29″N1°03′54″E / 51.308°N 1.065°E TR 137 610 | Canterbury | Map | Details | The site has unimproved grassland, woodland and scrub. Reptiles include slow-worms and lizards, and eleven species of butterfly have been recorded. [82] | ||
Vinters Valley Park | 30.2 hectares (75 acres) | Maidstone 51°16′41″N0°32′42″E / 51.278°N 0.545°E TQ 776 563 | Maidstone | Map | Details | This park has diverse habitats with grassland, woods, marshes, scrub, a lake and a stream. Birds include ducks, geese and kingfishers. [83] | ||
Western Heights | 51.7 hectares (128 acres) | Dover 51°07′01″N1°17′46″E / 51.117°N 1.296°E TR 308 405 | Dover | Map | Details | This green area surrounds Dover Western Heights, fortifications dating to the Napoleonic Wars. It consists of chalk meadows which provide a habitat for wild flowers, butterflies and birds. [84] | ||
Whinless Down | 19.3 hectares (48 acres) | Dover 51°07′37″N1°16′48″E / 51.127°N 1.280°E TR 296 415 | Dover | Map | Details | Dover Castle can be viewed from the down, which has rare plants such as cypress spurge, horseshoe vetch and crown vetch. There are also uncommon butterflies and moths. [85] | ||
Whitehall Meadows | 11.6 hectares (29 acres) | Canterbury 51°16′34″N1°03′54″E / 51.276°N 1.065°E TR 139 574 | Canterbury | Map | Details | This wet meadow has typical damp loving wildlife including snails, butterflies, damselflies, dragonflies and reptiles. [86] |
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Alderney. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts. It has over 35,500 members and eight local groups and it manages more than fifty nature reserves and other protected sites. It also gives conservation advice to individuals and organisations, provides educational services to young people on field trips and organises entertainment and information events at nature reserves. The NWT reserves include twenty-six Sites of Special Scientific Interests, nine national nature reserves, twelve Nature Conservation Review sites, sixteen Special Areas of Conservation, twelve Special Protection Areas, eleven Ramsar sites, two local nature reserves, four Geological Conservation Review sites and five which are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1958, previously known as the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation. It aims to "work with people to restore, save and improve our natural spaces" and to "ensure that 30% of Kent and Medway – land and sea – is managed to create a healthy place for wildlife to flourish". In 2023, they have reported over 30,000 members and an annual income of £8 million. KWT manages over ninety nature reserves in Kent, of which thirty-seven are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, three are national nature reserves, five are Special Areas of Conservation, four are Special Protection Areas, six are local nature reserves, thirty-eight are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and one is a scheduled monument.
The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts across the United Kingdom. It manages nature reserves in Leicestershire and Rutland, and was founded in 1956 as the Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Conservation. As of January 2018, it has over 16,000 members, a staff of about 25 and more than 500 volunteers. It is based in Leicester, and is managed by a Council of Trustees which is elected by the members. It is a charity which covers all aspects of nature conservation, and works to protect wild places and wildlife.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House in Ashbocking, near Ipswich. It was founded in 1961, and is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As of March 2017, it has 13,200 members, and it manages 3,120 hectares of land in 60 nature reserves, most of which are open to the public. It had an income of £3.9 million in the year to 31 March 2017.
The Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a conservation charity which aims to protect natural life in Sussex. It was founded in 1961 and is one of 46 wildlife trusts across the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. As of 2019, it has 33,000 members and manages 2,000 hectares of land for nature. It is a registered charity and in the year to 31 March 2019 it had an income of £5.7 million and expenditure of £4 million, resulting in net income of £1.7 million.
Queendown Warren is a 22.2-hectare (55-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Rainham in Kent. It is a Local Nature Reserve, a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and a Special Area of Conservation. It is in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust, and part of it is owned by Plantlife.
Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay is a 10,172.9-hectare (25,138-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from New Romney in Kent to Winchelsea in East Sussex. An area of 5,129.5 hectares is a Special Protection Area, an area of 3,141.1 hectares is a Special Area of Conservation, and an area of 6,377.6 hectares is a Ramsar Site, a wetland site designated of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Part of the site is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, parts are Geological Conservation Review sites, part is a Local Nature Reserve, and part is a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve, and part is a National Nature Reserve.
Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes is a 1,790.1-hectare (4,423-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches between Deal and Sandwich in Kent. It includes two Geological Conservation Review sites, and most of it is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. Part of it is a Ramsar site, a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a National Nature Reserve, It also includes a Kent Wildlife Trust nature reserve and a Local Nature Reserve,
Thanet Coast is an 816.9-hectare (2,019-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches along the coast between Whitstable and Ramsgate in Kent. It is a Geological Conservation Review site, and overlaps two Special Area of Conservations. It is also part of a Ramsar Site and a Special Protection Area. Part of it is a Local Nature Reserve,
Wouldham to Detling Escarpment is a 311.2-hectare (769-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Wouldham to Detling, north of Maidstone in Kent. Part of it is a Geological Conservation Review site, and it is part of the North Downs Woodlands Special Area of Conservation and the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and it includes three Kent Wildlife Trust nature reserves and a Local Nature Reserve,
Prince's Beachlands is a 6-hectare (15-acre) Local Nature Reserve north of Sandwich in Kent. It is owned by Dover Town Council and managed by Kent Wildlife Trust as part of the Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes nature reserve. It is part of the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Ramsar site, Sandwich Bay Special Area of Conservation, Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Protection Area and Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Sandwich and Pegwell Bay is a 615-hectare (1,520-acre) nature reserve in Kent, managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. It is a National Nature Reserve, and it includes a Geological Conservation Review site, Prince's Beachlands Local Nature Reserve and two Special Areas of Conservation, Sandwich Bay and Thanet Coast. It is part of Sandwich Bay and Thanet Coast Ramsar site and Special Protection Area. It is also of Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest and Sandwich/Pegwell Bay Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I.
51°11′N0°44′E / 51.19°N 0.73°E