Lympne Airfield Ecology and Wildlife

Since flying ceased in 1978 the plants and the wildlife have made a strong recovery as you can see from the pictures below.  We will be reporting in the News and Updates page on Lympne airfield ecology and wildlife, as new species appear in the Archive page. The Airfield now supports a rich and diverse ecology that is an invaluable asset to the health of our local and regional environment.  The wealth of invertebrate pollinators now supported by the Airfield, especially honey and bumble bees and butterflies is a boon to farmers and gardeners of the area.

We are working to secure the Airfield’s long term future conserved as a substantial Wildflower Meadow forming the hub of a series of wildlife corridors radiating north to connect with the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Lyminge Forest, the Woodland Trust’s Blean Woods north of Canterbury and Plantlife’s Ranscombe Farm in north Kent.


 Corridors running south will connect with the Lympne Scarp Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI), Romney Marsh, the Royal Military Canal and Dungeness, all of which reflects current Government Policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPR) and the thinking of professional biologists and ecological researchers, large sections of the agricultural industry and the National Trust to name but a few.

 Dr Lynne Dicks, Research Fellow in the Dept. of Zoology at Cambridge University speaking on BBC Rado 4 very recently about her research work into pollinating insects made a very strong case for the conservation of pollinators and the wildflowers they rely on for their food.

 Professional gardener and author Alan Titchmarsh who has recently launched a campaign to curtail the mowing of roadside verges, motorway embankments and all areas supporting wild flowers recently voiced his support for our campaign to save the Airfield from development and its reversion to a wildflower meadow.

“I would like to add my support to the residents of Lympne in their campaign for a wildflower meadow on their historic airfield.
“Most life on Earth depends on the interaction between plants and sunlight, among the most important are our wildflowers.  The post war loss of 98% of our wildflower meadows should be ringing the loudest of alarm bells, especially in the densely populated southeast of England.”
Alan Titchmarsh

All wildlife pictures, unless otherwise stated have been taken by Nick Hollands

(click on images to enlarge)