Connecting Surrey’s Heathland
Lowland heathland in Surrey provides a key habitat for important bird, reptile and invertebrate species such as Nightingales, Adders and Grayling butterflies.
Our three-year Heathland Connections project will enhance, restore and connect habitats in the west of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, creating a better experience for people whilst protecting sensitive areas for wildlife.
Key habitats
Improving and better connecting these habitats in the wider landscape can increase the population and resilience of these rare species when faced with habitat loss, climate change and other pressures.
The project area and surrounding buffer zone include nine of Surrey’s Biodiversity Opportunity Areas, designated because improving habitat here is likely to have most impact on the connectivity and recovery of important species, including those which are the focus of this project.
Habitat Species
Why Graylings?
• The Grayling is one of eight butterfly species in Britain at the highest risk of extinction.
• Adults are brown and grey in colour with wings measuring 5 to 6 cm across. They are found from mid-July to midSeptember but their colouring camouflages them, making males difficult to see.
• The Grayling has suffered severe long-term decline in Britain (England) with numbers down by 72% (60%) and distribution by 92% (89%) since 1976.
• This is due to loss and degradation of habitat, scrubbing over of heathland and increased nitrogen levels in soils reducing the amount and quality of key food plants.
• The Heathland Connections project area includes three Biodiversity Opportunity Areas between Farnham and Haslemere where the Grayling butterfly has been identified. One area has a strong population, another a small but stable one and in the final area monitoring during 2022 suggested that the species is now extinct.
• Overall in Surrey the long-term decline has been halted, with numbers increasing since 1990 and up 61% in the five years from 2018 to 2023. Found primarily in the west of the county, the distribution of Graylings has also extended significantly (500%) over the same period with a small decline (16%) from 2018 to 2023. We want to sustain and continue this overall improvement.
3,11
Requirements
• Bare ground, tree trunks and rocks for males to bask on while looking for a mate.
• Suitable vegetation for females to hide amongst and lay their eggs. This includes grasses such as Sheep’s-fescue, Red Fescue, Bristle Bent and Early Hairgrass growing in sunny places with adjacent bare ground.
• Abundance of these key grasses throughout the year to provide food for caterpillars when they emerge and a place to hibernate over winter.
• Plentiful supply of nectar for adults to feed on from Bird’sfoot Trefoil, Bramble, Heather, Marjoram, Red Clover, Teasel and Thistles.
Life cycle
• Butterfly banks and scrapes can be seeded or planted with fine grasses - only successful in low-nutrient areas, which prevents rapid re-growth of original vegetation. Rotational topsoil stripping will help reduce nutrient levels.
• Managing woodland, for example by coppicing and creating disturbance along sunny rides/glades (by scarification or general machinery disturbance).
• Low to moderate stock grazing, with cattle or ponies, to create patches of bare ground and short vegetation. Where possible avoid:
• The use of pesticides.
How you can help
• By creating areas of bare ground and scattered vegetation that includes plenty of fine-leafed grasses. The butterfly only moves over short distances, so it requires suitable habitats in proximity for all stages of its lifecycle.
• Creating and maintaining these conditions which are found naturally in Surrey on lowland heathland and sometimes within grassland on chalky soils or in open woodland on stony ground. They can also be found in areas such as old quarries, railway lines and derelict industrial sites.
Habitat maintenance is necessary to retain the characteristics needed by Graylings. This can include:
• Scrub control to maintain a sparse covering to provide shelter through rotational cutting and treating stumps with herbicides if reduction of cover is required. Raking off the litter layer after cutting to expose more bare ground.
• Rotational cutting of small areas of heathland at 5-30 year intervals to create a variety of habitats which includes bare ground and sparse vegetation.
Habitats can also be created in a variety of ways:
• Rotational ground disturbance by scarification or turfstripping areas of grassland or scrub.
• Rotational management on brownfield sites, only parts managed each year to maintain a habitat mosaic.
• Applying topsoil, fertiliser or organic matter.
Grayling distribution map
Key Grayling Citizen Science Surveys 2024
Get in touch
surreywildlifetrust.org/heathland-connections nbs@surreywt.org.uk
Grayling butterflies thrive in habitats with a mix of grassy areas and low shrubs. You can encourage or create scrubby or heathland areas with grasses and low-growing plants. This can be achieved by taking unproductive corners out of production, which are perfect for the larvae of Grayling butterflies to feed on.
Grayling butterflies rely on specific grasses, such as fescues and bents, for their larvae to feed on. You can plant and protect native grasses and wildflowers to support the butterfly’s life cycle, providing both food and habitat. Beetle banks, flower rich margins, and other options are a great way to achieve this.
Heathland restoration creates the open, sunny areas that Grayling butterflies need for basking and laying eggs. It also supports the growth of specific grasses, such as fescues, which are crucial for the larvae to feed on. Additionally, restored heathland provides a diverse range of habitats, enhancing the overall ecosystem and supporting the Grayling butterfly’s life cycle.
Graylings prefer open, bare ground for basking and egg-laying. You can leave patches of bare, unplanted soil in sunny areas to provide suitable habitat.
Light grazing can help maintain the open, sparse vegetation that Grayling butterflies prefer, but overgrazing can destroy their habitat. You can manage grazing to maintain the right balance of grasses and bare ground, which supports the butterfly’s habitat.
The Grayling butterfly is highly reliant on sunny spots for basking and warming up. You can create sunny, open spaces by managing vegetation to allow more sunlight to reach the ground, providing essential basking areas.
Philip Precey
Stewardship options that support Grayling habitat
Code
SFI offer from summer 2024 – usually 3-year agreements 5, 6
Boundary Features
CHRW1 Assess and record hedgerow condition
Hedge can be:
Newly planted, laid or coppiced
· Woody growth on top of an earth or stone-faced bank
CHRW2 Manage hedgerows
Hedge can be as for CHRW1
BND2 Maintain earth banks or stone-faced hedge banks
£5 per 100m for one side
Understand condition of hedgerows
· Plan management to improve condition
3 years Produce a written hedgerow condition assessment record
£13 per 100m (for one side)
Provide: Habitat for wildlife
· Pollen, nectar and berries for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects
£11 per 100m For one side
· Help manage livestock
Provide habitats for lichens, mosses, ferns and wildlife
As above Cut in autumn / winter
Newly planted, lightly trim incrementally
· Fully established, use one of: cut incrementally or in rotation 1/3 (1/2) hedges every 3 (2) years or coppice / lay in rotation
As above Note: creation and restoration grants for earth banks in Countryside Stewardship BD 3&4 (see below)
Buffer strips - must be placed alongside an existing landscape or heritage feature and thus provide a corridor for movement and potential sites for basking, laying eggs and a food source
CAHL4 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
CIGL3 4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
Allow natural regeneration Or sow the area
£515 Per hectare per year
£235 Per hectare per year
Provide an intact grass sward throughout the year without tracks and compacted areas
In order to:
· Provide habitat for wildlife Prevent pollutants in surface run off Support integrated pest management (IPM)
As for CHL4
3 years In late summer cut strip next to the edge of the strip to provide shorter vegetation
· Staggered cutting of different strips across the season, retain/ create areas of tussocky grass Weed control
As above Cutting or livestock grazing Weed control
Farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land - create Grayling habitat amongst inhospitable arable land
CAHL3 Grassy field corners or blocks
· Natural regeneration Or sow the area
Create habitat network with several smaller areas
AHW3 Beetle banks
Create raised earth ridge
Sow mixture of fine-leaved and tussock forming grasses
£590 Per hectare per year
£764 Per hectare per year
Has an intact grass sward throughout the year, without tracks and compacted areas
Develop tussocky grasses
In order to:
Provide year-round habitat for a range of wildlife
· Support IPM
Provide nesting and foraging habitats for insects, ground-nesting birds, small mammals and reptiles
Help slow down or stop soil erosion
Support IPM
3 years As per CIGL3
As above You must not apply: Any fertilisers, manures or lime Pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles
AHW7 Enhanced overwinter stubble
· Rotational Whole field or strip
Cultivate in March to create more bare ground
£589 Per hectare per year
Provide a post-harvest stubble all year to provide: A winter food source for seed-eating farmland birds
Spring and summer foraging and nesting habitats for other farmland birds, and habitats for other farmland wildlife
3 years
Farmland wildlife and habitats on grassland - increase structural variety of plants to create suitable habitat
CIGL1 Take grassland field corners or blocks out of management
Can be existing grassy field corners
GRH6 Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland (endorsed by NE advisor) Including lowland: Calcareous grassland
Dry acid grassland
· Meadows
GRH11 Supplement: Cattle grazing (non-moorland)
Only do alongside base actions:
CLIG3 - Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs
GRH1 - Manage rough grazing for birds
· GRH6 - Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland
SCR1 Create scrub and open habitat mosaics
Use on land with less than 10% scrub cover
SSSI NOT eligible
· Natural regeneration Or planting variety native scrub species (10% - 60% of area)
SCR2 Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics
£333 Per hectare per year
Allow development of tussocky grass in order to:
· Provide year-round habitat for a range of wildlife
Support IPM
£646 Per hectare per year
£59 Per hectare per year
· Maintain and improve the biodiversity of priority habitat grassland
Increase the number and frequency of important plant species
· Benefit priority species, such as butterflies, bumblebees, reptiles, amphibians, birds or bats
To ensure that an annual average of at least 60% of the grazing livestock units (GLU) on the grassland are cattle
The purpose of this is to: Create a more varied sward structure
· Control scrub, bracken and coarse vegetation Increase wildlife diversity
£588 Per hectare per year
£350 Per hectare per year
· Scrub cover managed to maintain habitat mosaic with variety of species, heights, and structure Can include growing trees and deadwood
In order to:
Provide food and habitats for a variety of species
· Provide pollen and nectar sources for insects, such as bees and butterflies
Improve the quality of woodland edges and transitions between other habitats
Protect soils and watercourses by reducing soil erosion
· As per SCR1
3 years No cutting or grazing Control weeds if necessary
· Capital grants for fencing if required
5 years
· Graze with livestock and/or cut it
· Ensure intact grass sward throughout the year
Minimise bare ground Manage scrub
5 years
5 years · Control herbivores
· Leave standing and fallen deadwood
Leave mature and veteran trees
3 years · As per SCR1
Wood Pasture
WOD1
From Summer 2025
Manage wood pasture and parkland (endorsed)
£212 per hectare per year
Integrated pest management
CIPM4 No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops
£45 Per hectare per year
Maintenance of year-round wood pasture or parkland to provide:
Trees at each life stage to become future veteran trees
Grassland or heathland habitat within wood pasture
A variety of sward heights Wildflowers, sedges and grasses allowed to flower and set seed in the spring/summer with some left undisturbed during autumn/winter
Appropriate scrub cover Habitat which offers sources of food and shelter for wildlife, such as invertebrates and birds
That no plant protection products containing insecticide are applied on an arable crop or permanent crops
The purpose of this is to:
· Support an integrated pest management approach by managing crop pests in a more sustainable way Improve water and air quality
· Increase biodiversity
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Actions - May 2024 7, 13 - Actions not available in SFI
3 years Manage sward:
· By grazing and/or cutting
· Intact year-round without compacted areas or poaching
Minimise bare ground Manage scrub Manage trees: Maintain existing and newly planted specimens
· Prevent harm from machinery, livestock, wild animals and pests Leave deadwood unless poses a safety risk
3 years Do not apply any plant protection products containing insecticide including: Insecticide seed dressings
· Nematicides and acaricides
· You can apply herbicides, fungicides or plant growth regulators
Note: Many Higher Tier CS actions require specialist advice to be sought from Natural England or the Forestry Commission prior to commencing the application process
Boundary Features
CHRW4
(same as SFI
CHRW2)
Manage hedgerows
See capital grants
BN7:Hedgerow gapping up
BN11: Planting new hedges
Grassland
CGS21 Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features
Not on priority habitat
Only grassland:
With moderate /low potential to restore to priority habitat
· Is associated with species / feature that would benefit
£13 per 100m (for one side)
£528 Per hectare per year
Provide:
· Habitat for wildlife Pollen, nectar and berries for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects
Maintain or increase the quantity of the targeted habitat, species or features
Other priority species will also benefit
5 years · Manage to agreed width and height
You may also need to:
· Agree hedgerow cutting frequency with NE Manage 2m strip from centre of hedge as agreed with NE
5 years
Maintain/increase the targeted feature
· Maintain range of plant heights
· Manage by grazing or cutting
Maintain a continuous cover
Little or no manure, fertiliser or pesticide
Maintain level of scrub, rushes
· Control undesirable plants
Lowland Heath
CLH1 Management of lowland heathland
Only lowland heathland priority habitat
· Can include areas of acid grassland
CLH2 Restoration of forestry and woodland to lowland heathland
Only on lowland heathland that has established tree cover over most of its area
£412 Per hectare per year
Create a diverse mosaic of vegetation including:
· Undisturbed bare ground Vegetation in all stages of its life cycle
Open water
Scrub
£311 Per hectare per year
CLH3 Creation of heathland from arable or improved grassland if soil nutrient levels are low
£711 Per hectare
Re-establish lowland heathland on forested land or land recently (since 1900) colonised by woodland
Colonisation by locally characteristic plant communities and species
Create lowland heath which includes mosaics with lowland acid grassland, on sites that have lost their heathland seed bank
Included features: Bare ground Open water Scrub
£20.59/m
BN4 Earth bank restoration
BN7 Hedgerow gapping up
BN11 Planting new hedges
Conserve and enhance landscape character
· Provide a valuable wildlife habitat
£10.54/m As per BN3
£17.22 per m To create continuous lines of hedge in lines of shrubs: Over 20 m long
· Less than 5 m wide at the base
At least 80% native plants
£22.97 per m
To create new lengths of hedgerow planted with native species where: Reinstates historic hedges Links or extends existing hedgerows Will help reduce soil erosion and run off or
· Close to slurry digestive stores to help capture ammonia emissions
Forestry Commission - Likely to transition into part of ELMs in the future
Woodland Creation Planning Grant 9
Minimum 5 hectares
10 years
Create range of heather ages / structure through (grazing and/ or cutting)
Provide bare ground cover (1%-10%)
Maintain tree / scrub <15%
Maintain range of gorse
· Manage bracken <10% in dense canopy
10 years Remove trees / scrub, organic litter > 5cm deep
· Graze / cut heathland vegetation
· Hydrological restoration, if needed
Create / maintain 1% - 10% bare ground
· Maintain tree / scrub < 15%
· Maintain range of gorse Manage bracken < 10%
10 years Hydrological restoration if necessary
· Encourage colonisation using heather seed / cuttings
Graze / cut colonising heathland at set times
Manage undesirable species <10%
NA Note: Only on sites of former earth banks, evidenced by historic maps, or records showing typical of location or landscape
NA Note: Only on lengths of earth bank that need to be rebuilt to their original height
Maintenance requirements include: Carry out work between 1 November and 31 March
· Prevent livestock and grazing animals from damaging hedge
Maintenance requirements include:
· Carry out work between 1 November and 31 March
Trim the newly planted hedge in at least the first 2 years
Prevent livestock and grazing animals from damaging hedge
£1,500 (Stage 1)
£150 per hectare (less stage 1 payment)
Overall cap of £30,500 per project
Support landowners, land managers and public bodies to design a new woodland compliant with UK Forestry Standard
Stage 1 desk-based feasibility exercise
Stage 2 plan for actual wood creation if feasible
England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) 8
Minimum 1 hectare
Apply by 30 June to secure agreement for the following planting season
Types of payment available:
1. Support for capital items / activities to establish new woodland, covering 100% of national average costs. (Up to a cap of £10,200 per hectare)
2. 15 years of annual maintenance payments to help establish the young trees
3. £400 per hectare
4. Contribution towards cost of installing infrastructure to enable management or recreational access
5. Optional Additional Contributions for delivering public benefits (see right)
6. Low sensitivity land payment when planting in areas less suitable for food production
£1,100 per hectare
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
15 years
Re-claiming at years 6 and 11
Since February 2024, all developments granted planning permission in England are legally required to deliver a minimum of 10% biodiversity net gain
If BNG cannot be achieved on a development site, there are opportunities to deliver it elsewhere
Landowners may be able to gain income for delivering this off-site BNG by creating or improving habitat on their land and selling BNG credits to developers
Bibliography
General
1. Butterfly Conservation, 2024. Red List of Butterflies in Great Britain [Online]. Available at: https://butterfly-conservation.org/red-list-ofbutterflies-in-great-britain [Accessed 15 August 2024].
2. Butterfly Conservation, 2023. Butterflies of Surrey & SW London (VC17) 2000 to 2024. [Online]. Available at https://butterfly-conservation.org/ in-your-area/surrey-and-sw-london-branch/maps-stats [Accessed 31 August 2024].
3. Butterfly Conservation – Upper Thames Branch, 2024. Grayling. [Online]. Available at: https://www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/ butterflies?specid=5913 [Accessed: 20 November 24].
4. Butterfly Conservation Wales. Bare Ground for Butterflies and Moths.
5. Fox, R et al, 2023. The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022. Butterfly Conservation.
6. Jones, R. 2013. Grayling Species Factsheet. Butterfly Conservation.
7. Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT), 2024. Heathland Connections [Online]. Available at: https://surreyhills.org/heathland-connections/ [Accessed: 29 August 2024].
8. Surrey Nature Partnership, 2022. Surrey Biodiversity Action Reporting Project 2011-2020.
9. Waite, M. 2019. Biodiversity Opportunity Areas: The basis for realising Surrey’s ecological network. Surrey Nature Partnership.
10. Waite, M (2017); The State of Surrey’s Nature (Surrey Nature Partnership).
11. WallisDeVries, M F and Van Swaay C.A.M. 2017. A nitrogen index to track changes in butterfly species assemblages under nitrogen deposition. Biological Conservation, Vol 212. P448 – 453.
Funding
12. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. SFI scheme information: expanded offer for 2024 (December 2024). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-schemeexpanded-offer-for-2024/sfi-scheme-information-expanded-offerfor-2024 [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
13. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Expanded SFI offer (SFI24 offer) – endorsed actions. [Online]. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/67571a23f96f5424a4b87805/SFI24-endorsed-actions-v1.pdf [Accessed: 29 January 2024].
14. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Find funding for land or farms [Online]. Available
Support landowners, land managers and public bodies to create new woodland, including through natural colonisation
Additional Contributions include:
· Nature recovery: up to £3,300 per hectare
· Flood risk management: £1,000 per hectare
Water quality: £500 per hectare for Riparian buffers: £2,500 per hectare for woodlands along riverbanks
Close to settlements: up to £600 per hectare
· Recreational access: up to £3,700 per hectare
For more information contact the Surrey Wildlife Trust Nature-based Solutions team at nbs@surreywt.org.uk
at: https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms [Accessed: 31 August 2024].
15. DEFRA and RPA, 2025. Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Handbook for the SFI 2023 offer (v9 Jan 2025).
16. RPA, 2024. Applicant’s guide: Capital Grants 2024. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-grants2024/3451c5f9-431c-4530-bb47-40ac2a0abe8f [Accessed : 29 January 2025].
Countryside Stewardship
17. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: preview guidance (December 2024). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-getready-to-apply/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-preview-guidance [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
18. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions (December 2024). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-getready-to-apply/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-actions#bufferstrips [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
19. DEFRA and RPA, 2023. Revenue options payment rate changes from 1 January 2023 (May 23). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/revenue-payment-rates-from-january-2023countryside-stewardship/revenue-options-payment-rate-changes-from1-january-2023 [Accessed: 29 January 2025]
20. RPA and Natural England, 2024. Countryside Stewardship grant finder [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardshipgrants [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
Woodland Creation
21. Forestry Commission, 2024. Woodland Creation Planning Grant Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-creationplanning-grant [Accessed: 29 August 2024].
22. Forestry Commission, 2024. England Woodland Creation Offer [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/england-woodlandcreation-offer [Accessed: 29 August 2024].
23. Forestry England, 2024. Forestry England Woodland Partnership Programme Online]. Available at: https://www.forestryengland.uk/ woodland-partnership-programme [Accessed: 28 August 2024].
24. Forestry Commission, 2024. Creating New Woodland: The England Woodland Creation Offer.
One of twelve landscape-scale Nature Recovery Projects being delivered collaboratively across England, Heathland Connections is a Natural England funded, partnership-led initiative, which will deliver habitat restoration by supporting landowners to effectively manage adjoining areas of remnant heathland under their care.
This project offers private and public sector landowners and managers of all sizes - from large to small scale farmers, woodland and forestry managers, and businesses such as golf clubs - a range of support to help them work together for nature.
Get in touch
If you are a landowner and/or land manager and would like to find out more, please register your interest at surreywildlifetrust.org/heathland-connections or contact the Surrey Wildlife Trust Nature-based Solutions team at nbs@surreywt.org.uk
The Information in this leaflet is up to date as of January 2025
Please check for the most recent updates on stewardship options at gov.uk:
1. For SFI - Find funding for land or farms - gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms
2. For Countryside Stewardship - gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants
Heathland Connections is in partnership with:
&
consolidation by Christine Gooch
by Bea Baranowska