The iconic Seven Sisters have been formally declared England’s newest National Nature Reserve today (Thursday 19th March), acknowledging the unique value of one of the nation’s most loved landscapes.

The 1,500 hectare new National Nature Reserve is home to globally rare habitats, including chalk grasslands, heath and floodplain meadows, and wildlife such as the chalkhill blue butterfly, yellow hammer, skylark, and bee orchid. The area will now be better protected and restored for nature and people.

The landscape’s extraordinary chalk geology - formed from the remains of tiny sea creatures compacted over millennia - forms a huge chalk dome that contains one of Britain’s largest aquifers providing drinking water for nearby towns and invaluable clean freshwater for wildlife.