The Guardian features our rare Cheese Snails
In 2007, when there had been a threat to close all public access to the Chalk Pits site, Buriton Parish Council made it clear that it didn’t want this to happen and launched an initiative, with support from EHDC and the QECP, which led to a valuable grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help look after the nature and heritage of the area for the future.
One of the rare species that the project was trying to protect was the elusive Cheese Snail (Helicodonta obvoluta).
The Guardian’s article explains that the British population of this species is believed to be a postglacial relic, isolated in south-eastern England. Though widely distributed throughout Europe, it is listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, due to the diminution of forest cover and habitat fragmentation.
The author was delighted to find at least one juvenile specimen and the short article provides a lovely read, confirming that the community’s work continues to be successful and appreciated: see here