Lewes Downs is a 165-hectare (410-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Lewes in East Sussex.[1][2] It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I[3] and a Special Area of Conservation.[4] Part of it is a national nature reserve,[5] part is Malling Down nature reserve, which is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust,[6] and part is Mount Caburn, an Iron Age hill fort which is a Scheduled Monument.[7]
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | East Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TQ 437 099[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 165.0 hectares (408 acres)[1] |
| Notification | 1986[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
This south-facing slope on the South Downs is ecologically rich chalk grassland and scrub. Flora include the nationally rare early-spider orchid and it also has a diverse invertebrate fauna and an important breeding community of downland birds.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Lewes Downs". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Map of Lewes Downs". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–17. ISBN 0521 21403 3.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Lewes Downs". Special Areas of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Lewes Downs (Mount Caburn)". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Malling Down". Sussex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Historic England. "Hillfort, bowl barrow and associated remains on The Caburn (1014527)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ "Lewes Downs citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 16 January 2019.