Flora & Fauna

Wildlife at Shabden Park Farm

At Shabden Park Farm, our ethos is that traditional farming methods are not just beneficial to the countryside and wildlife habitats, but that some species depend on it for survival.

176 acres (71 hectares), or approximately two thirds of the farm is land managed under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. This includes all of the Shabden valley. Countryside Stewardship is a scheme which enables farmers and land managers to protect and restore vulnerable areas of the countryside, including threatened wildlife habitats such as chalk downland.

As the restoration of the chalk grassland has progressed, new species of flora and fauna are identified each year. We monitor chalk downland butterflies on the farm and we are managing some areas specifically to improve the breeding areas of these species of butterfly.