By Bex Cartwright, Conservation Projects Manager (Agriculture)
Between 2018-2021, the Trust led the ambitious, multi-partner, landscape-scale project ‘Making a Buzz for the Coast’. As well as a busy programme of education and engagement activities, the project sought to restore and create habitat for the rare and scarce bumblebee species surviving along the north Kent coastline.
One of the key sites that we worked on, in partnership with Thanet District Council and others, was Foreness Point grasslands. Foreness Point is an area of chalk grassland forming a headland on the cliffs over Palm Bay and Botany Bay to the east of Margate. Part of the site is also a County Wildlife Site, recognised for its locally important flora and fauna.
Flower rich grasslands by Bex Cartwright
As part of the project, we developed a 10-year management plan to restore the grassland habitats on the site. The plan included an annual cycle of rotational cutting and, importantly, removal of the grass cuttings. This keeps nutrient levels low and reduces the dominance of grass species such as Tor Grass on site, making room for wildflowers to thrive. Some areas are left uncut every year to ensure there is shelter and food for birds and overwintering habitat for insects.
We are delighted to report that the management regime has been a great success, with the site responding quickly and wildflowers now more abundant and spreading. This is a real boost for local bumblebees and other wildlife. Since the project started, the scarce Brown-banded carder bumblebee and Ruderal bumblebee have been recorded foraging at the site for the first time. Regular BeeWalk surveys have been carried out on the site by dedicated volunteers since 2018 with 12 species of bumblebee recorded. The site is also home to the rare and declining Long-horned bee, a type of solitary bee and the Bee-Wolf, a colourful and distinctive solitary wasp that nest together in large numbers here.
Goldfinches feeding on Knapweed seed heads by Bex Cartwright
The site has been adopted as one of our long-term monitoring sites so we return and periodically carry out surveys to assess how the grasslands are responding. Our surveys this year found that the frequencies of key bumblebee forage plants have increased over the last five years, with red clover, knapweed, kidney vetch and yellow rattle all found in greater abundance on site which is really fantastic!
Surveying with Kent Plan Bee Project Officer Simon Springate
During 2024, the local wildlife site was also reassessed and surveyed by Kent Botanical Recording Group. The report was very positive stating that the diversity of chalk flora was good and includes several notable plant species including a range of orchid species. The report also stated that the management regime had improved the site since it was first designated as a wildlife site.
Interpretation board in place at Foreness Point by Bex Cartwright
