Talks with Andrew Armitage & Ryan Ellis

We are really excited to announce that we are holding a series of talks: “Living gracefully on this planet” surrounding nature, specifically birds and rewilding in this instance & engaging with the countryside.

Andrew & Ryan will be exploring nature in Sullington and the local countryside in the beautiful 16th century Old Workshop on Thursday 22nd May, 2 – 4:30pm. Book your tickets here.

Andrew Armitage

Andrew is heavily involved with Steyning Downland Scheme on Wiston Estate where he takes people for dawn chorus walks. They always end up having lots of rare bird sightings! Andrew is local to Washington and will walk us through native Spring & Summer birds in our area.

He will also discuss the conservation issues and identification of iconic species that are typically found in the Spring and Summer months in Sullington and the local area. Andrew has been known to have sightings of the Nightingale, Red Kite & Greater Spotted Woodpecker on some of his dawn chorus walks.

Ryan Ellis

Ryan will dive into the rich and diverse landscape surrounding us and how farming plays such a pivotal role in biodiversity and ecosystems. He works for the Weald to Waves project with Knepp Wildland Foundation where they are establishing a 100 mile nature recovery corridor. His talk will delve into the major plant communities found in Sullington’s rare chalk grassland, emphasizing their ecological value in terms of biodiversity.

Ryan will also uncover the importance and recognition of species-rich grassland (SRG).

For those who didn’t already know SRG is defined as ‘open, grassy habitat that is normally maintained by traditional grazing and cutting methods’.  Grassland is species-rich if it has more than 15 plant species per square metre, more than 30% cover of wildflowers and sedges (excluding white clover, creeping buttercup and injurious weeds), and less than 10% cover of white clover and perennial rye grass’.

After describing the multitude of benefits brought by SRG – wildlife habitats, natural beauty, natural flood defence, and healthier soils to name but a few – Ryan will highlight the Grassland Gap: the terrible lack of recognition that the habitat receives.

There is no dedicated resource for SRG at DEFRA, as opposed to woodland and lowland peat, and there are 9 policies to protect and promote trees and peat set out in Government Action Plans, focussing for example on better protection through the planning system, and national mapping and monitoring.  Species-rich grassland gets no mention…

Incomplete mapping and monitoring, and blurred boundaries between habitat classifications means that important grassland habitats are likely declining and being lost under the radar, and a programme of evidence building is urgently needed.

There is also a need for more evidence to demonstrate the carbon storage potential of SRG grassland.  The governments Net Zero Strategy is based upon England’s Tree and Peat Action Plans, and has resultingly lead to lots of support and funding for protection and expansion of these habitats.  Once again SRG is missing from the strategy and supporting investments, despite the role grassland have to play as an effective carbon store.

This is going to be a really exciting talk. Find out more or book tickets here.

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