Surely Jane Austen would recognise a remarkable change to the landscape of the South Downs since her time (Report, 1 April)? Natural history writers such as WH Hudson would be devastated by it. Grazing of these hills for thousands of years had produced an open landscape providing the freedom to walk for many miles in any direction on short, thyme-scented turf. Such ancient grassland might have 30 species of plant in a single square metre and innumerable invertebrate animals which have supported such remarkable birds as the stone curlew and many skylarks. Since about 1960 most of this grassland has been replaced by arable fields, with the loss of most of that associated wildlife. One of the best places to view this vanished landscape is on Parsonage Down national nature reserve in Wiltshire, where the farmer sold his land to the nation rather than see his chalk grassland ploughed up, although this reserve is well outside the national park.
Chris Sydes
Penicuik, Midlothian
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/06/south-downs-national-park-vanished-landscape
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