Did you know the University sits within the unique Brighton and Lewes Downs biosphere, also known as “The Living Coast”, which is a designated UNESCO World Biosphere Region and enjoys a wide variety of plantlife growing upon chalk grasslands, dry chalk valleys, and floodplain meadows?

In this blog, Ashley Wilcox, the University’s grounds maintenance manager, tells us about his role in boosting biodiversity on our beautiful campus…

Tell us about your job here at Sussex

My role is predominantly campus biodiversity management and development. I am currently implementing biodiversity programmes that improve habitat and species population within our campus and community, and developing pathways and resources that align with the United Nations’ sustainability development goals.

I support other environmental stakeholders within the campus such as social sciences, the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects, the West Slope development team, projects teams, sustainability groups, the forest fruit garden and the West Slope seed trial project by sharing resources and advice.

Currently I directly manage 12 staff covering four service lines: pest control, grounds maintenance, sports grounds and amenity waste.

One broad-reaching impact my role has is landscape designation, such as amenity lawn, wildflower, meadow, woodland and aquatic pond management.

By educating staff and changing grass-cutting methods we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of white helleborine, pyramidal and bee orchids established on campus. This change to grounds maintenance delivery also provided the opportunity for community involvement through our Orchid Watch initiative. The data and statistics is then published within our Rural Estates Management Plan which is updated annually in December.   

How are you mapping biodiversity on campus?

Our grounds maintenance delivery is balanced between our contracted benchmark and applying innovative land management strategies that are measured and sustainable achieving a Net Gain where possible.

The campus has been fully mapped and measured providing us with biomass data that we use to accurately identify and link with specific species and habitat projects. We’re focused on a number of measures, including orchid germination, tree planting, social insect study, wildflower propagation and chalk downland creation.

Tell us more about the special chalk grassland habitats…

The campus has several grassland parcels that are managed in various ways including passive rewilding and low management elements of chalk grassland and tussocky grassland with tall herbs and ruderal vegetation.

Approximately 80% of the UK’s chalk grassland habitat has been lost since the Second World War, making the chalk grasslands of the South Downs some of the rarest habitats in the UK. Examples of this habitat type can be found on the campus; for example, there are remnants of chalk grassland on the steep slopes opposite Swanborough East and there is an expanse of the habitat to the north-west of the campus (Jubilee Woodland).

Chalk grasslands cover 4% of the South Downs National Park, but more than a third of the sites are less than a hectare in extent; this makes efforts to restore chalk grassland habitat particularly important.

Chalk grasslands can support a diversity of rare flora and fauna, including the Adonis Blue butterfly and its food plant, horseshoe vetch. Estimates suggest that 60% of the UK’s butterfly species can be found on the chalk grasslands of the South Downs.

How can people get involved in monitoring?

We always want to hear what people are spotting on campus – you probably saw the orange flags indicating where orchids were found over the summer to mark the area for preservation, and the campus community really helped with that.

More information on groundskeeping at Sussex is available on the Grounds webpages.