Life on the Edge aims to restore viable populations of some of the UK’s rarest invertebrates and plants living along the South Devon coast between Berry Head and Wembury, including the last known colony of the Six-banded Nomad Bee (Nomada sexfasciata).

A major cause of their decline is habitat loss and degradation, and a lack of habitat connectivity. Many of South Devon’s clifftop wildflower grasslands that provide nectar for bees and butterflies, and a home for oil beetles, have been lost to arable crops or grazing animals.

Life on the Edge is a five year project that will deliver targeted habitat restoration and creation at five key coastal biodiversity hotspots, covering a 75km stretch of coastline, to give threatened species a safer long-term future by expanding and reconnecting the traditional coastal landscapes on which they depend.

Landscape-scale change will be achieved by working to link these biodiversity hotspots – restoring high nature value coastal habitats, and connecting them with the South Devon B-lines network. This will support the recovery of  threatened species, improve habitat connectivity, and boost the abundance and diversity of wildlife along the coast.

Practical habitat interventions coupled with landowner buy-in and conservation covenants will ensure the habitats are managed for the long term – providing a strong legacy for the project.

Life on the Edge is a collaborative project being delivered by Buglife, South Devon National Landscapes, National Trust, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, and local farmers, landowners, and communities. It is funded primarily by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Devon Environment Foundation.

 

Image credits: Below, Devon Environment Foundation. Title image of Six-banded nomad bee, Buglife.