‘This isn’t greenwashing’: thousands of butterflies surprise experts on restored West Sussex farmland
A commercial nature restoration project on former wheatfields in West Sussex has seen a rapid return of biodiversity, including thousands of rare butterflies. The project is funded through biodiversity net gain credits, which allow developers to offset environmental impacts by investing in habitat restoration.
Why it matters
The success of this project provides a case study for the effectiveness of market-based conservation models in restoring degraded agricultural land.
Small blue butterflies had never previously been recorded on the fields. Photograph: Neil Hulme Small blue butterflies had never previously been recorded on the fields. Photograph: Neil Hulme Wildlife ‘This isn’t greenwashing’: thousands of butterflies surprise experts on restored West Sussex farmland Rare small blues and dingy skippers among species found on former wheatfields two years after start of transformation under commercial nature project
Patrick Barkham Thu 22 Oct 2026 06.00 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google An “amazing” abundance of 5,290 butterflies, including rare small blues and dingy skippers, has appeared on land that was barren wheatfields just two years ago.
The speed with which nature has bounced back at Halnaker Hill farm in West Sussex has surprised experts after 133 hectares (330 acres) of intensively farmed land were turned into a commercial nature restoration project.
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