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Pewsey Downs, looking towards Salisbury Plain, offers expansive views of rolling chalk hills and open countryside. The landscape features sweeping green fields and distant, undulating plains, with Salisbury Plain visible on the horizon. The scene is tranquil and panoramic, showcasing the natural beauty and wide-open spaces of the region.

Big Chalk

Our vision is to create nature-rich chalk and limestone landscapes that benefit all of us.

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It’s time to look beyond the scenery.

Our partnership is forging vital connections between nature recovery projects across the chalk and limestone landscapes of southern England.

Uniting resources and expertise, and covering a fifth of England, Big Chalk aims to build a dynamic nature recovery network that will be central to the UK’s pledge to protect 30% of land and halt the decline of nature by 2030.

The North Downs Way through Wye and Kings Wood in the Kent Downs National Landscape features scenic trails amidst ancient woodlands. The path offers lush greenery, diverse wildflowers, and tranquil views of rolling hills, showcasing the natural beauty of the Kent Downs.

Why does Big Chalk exist?

Southern England has some of the most iconic scenery on Earth, with its distinctive chalk and limestone vistas inspiring wonder for centuries. The globally rare interplay of geology, soils and water creates special landscapes formed of streams, meadows, grasslands and woodlands, which support a rich diversity of wildlife.

These landscapes are as crucial to people as they are to our planet. They contribute to water supplies, healthy soils, carbon storage, sustainable food production and flood management, all while improving our health and wellbeing through access to historic heritage and the beautiful outdoors.

But the climate and nature crises threaten these precious places and the nature they support. Most nature-rich grasslands have already been lost, and our chalk streams are in poor health.

That’s why Big Chalk exists.

Approved Big Chalk Projects

The Big Chalk Partnership brings together more than 150 organisations, each of which is developing and delivering successful projects that will help achieve our shared vision of nature-rich chalk and limestone landscapes that benefit all of us.

Some of these projects are listed below. They have been assessed as contributing directly to delivering our Partnership's vision, and our partners can describe and promote them as Big Chalk Projects.

Small natural pond surrounded by lush green grass and reeds in a countryside meadow under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds. Trees and hedgerows line the horizon, creating a peaceful rural landscape.

Chalkland Revival

Chalkland Revival connects farmers, wildlife, and communities to restore 40,000 hectares of chalk landscape and inspire long-term nature recovery

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Group of children conducting river dipping activity in a shallow stream surrounded by lush green trees, using nets and trays to explore aquatic life.

Our Healthy Headwaters

From home habits to hands-on science, Our Healthy Headwaters is uniting communities to restore the Hampshire Avon’s precious chalk streams

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An aerial view of a lush green landscape featuring a winding stream with multiple branches. The stream flows through dense vegetation and grassy areas, surrounded by trees and patches of open land. The water appears calm, reflecting the greenery around it.

Hamble Brook

Restoring Hamble Brook’s chalk stream and wetlands, this project revives a historic river and showcases the power of partnership for nature recovery.

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Roundway Down, near Devizes in Wiltshire, is a scenic hill offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Known for its historical significance and natural beauty, the area features grassy slopes and ancient earthworks. It provides a popular spot for walkers and nature enthusiasts to explore its rolling landscapes and enjoy the expansive vistas.

Get involved

There are many ways to get involved with Big Chalk, each playing a vital role in achieving our shared vision.

Whether by joining the partnership to help realise what we can only achieve together, registering your project as part of our dynamic and evolving suite of partner-led initiatives, or joining a topic group to contribute to knowledge-sharing, your involvement matters.

We also welcome funders and new partners who can help us advance our mission to collectively secure the future of nature in southern England’s iconic chalk and limestone landscapes.

Your support is key to our collective success.

Get involved

Join our partnership

Realising our vision depends on building a broad, representative partnership – we do together what we cannot do alone.

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For illustrative purposes only

Register your project

Join an evolving network of partner-led projects working to secure the future of nature in southern England’s iconic chalk and limestone landscapes

Register your project
At Standen Manor, a team is restoring streams to enhance habitats and boost biodiversity. Their work includes improving water flow and bankside vegetation, creating a healthier environment for local wildlife.

Join a topic group

Knowledge exchange within the Big Chalk Partnership happens through a series of topic groups, which meet online three to four times a year.

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The Adonis blue (Polyommatus bellargus) is a small butterfly, with males displaying vivid sky-blue wings and females brown with orange spots. Both sexes have pale brown undersides with black spots. They thrive in chalk grasslands, often seen on low plants like horseshoe vetch.

Become a funder or partner

We would love to hear from you if your organisation can help fulfil our mission and contribute to delivering our vision of nature-rich chalk and limestone landscapes that benefit all of us.

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The Wye Crown, located on the North Downs Way in the Kent Downs, is a prominent chalk hill figure offering stunning panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. The site features a large white crown carved into the hillside, visible from afar. It provides a striking landmark along the trail, showcasing the area's natural beauty and historical heritage.

Big Chalk map

The Big Chalk programme area, highlighting protected landscapes.