
Wild Purbeck
Wild Purbeck
Purbeck is one of the richest places for wildlife in the UK. This is thanks to its unique combination of open coast, natural harbour, heathland, chalk and limestone habitats.
Dorset heath thrives here with an incredible variety of rare insects, such as southern damselflies.
Nationally-important numbers of brent geese and avocets choose Poole Harbour as their home over winter. The harbour is also home to a large colony of breeding terns, and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, England’s only natural World Heritage Site.
Writers and artists such as Thomas Hardy, Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland all drew inspiration from Purbeck’s beauty.
From its thriving tourist economy, to its farming communities and military ranges, Purbeck is as vital for people as it is for wildlife.
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PDF, 1.44Mb. Date: 5 September 2014
Futurescapes - Wild PurbeckExplore the area
Find out what’s going on near this Futurescape, including places to visit, news and local events, plus how you can work or volunteer for us.
Nearby reserves
Reserves and other protected areas are a key part of Futurescapes. They provide core areas for nature to thrive and eventually repopulate the surrounding landscapes. The key RSPB reserves within this Futurescape are:
Arne
This is an unusual yet important landscape where you can enjoy a vast expanse of open heathland and old oak woodland. Arne is a fantastic place for family walks at any time of year, has played host to BBC's Autumnwatch and has regular children's days which enable all the family to learn about the nature of the heaths.
Featured projects
We're working to safeguard and improve special places for nature. Each Futurescape contains a range of initiatives in addition to our reserves. The combination of these creates better conditions for wildlife across the countryside.
Dorset Heathland Project
The RSPB has been managing heathland in Dorset for more than 30 years. In 1989, we established the Dorset Heathland Project to promote heathland conservation outside our reserves. Staff work with landowners to remove invasive scrub and rejuvenate heather and gorse.
Navitus Bay Wind Park
The south west is blessed with a geography and climate which should be able to support a vibrant renewable energy industry. However, while there is a great prize to be won here, we need to work hard to ensure that any renewable energy development is sited with minimal impact to the environment.
Our partners
Futurescapes is all about collaboration. There are many organisations and people involved in managing land in Wild Purbeck. Our challenge is working together to find ways of making more space for nature. To achieve this we’re working with:
Saving special places
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Rejecting aluminium from Ghana's Forests
As Ghana weighs economic benefits of mining bauxite for aluminum, multi-billion-dollar global companies support community groups calling for protection of critical forest. Natalie Hall, RSPB Senior Advisor for International Site Policy explains. Atew...
Posted 03/02/2021 by Vanessa Amaral-Rogers -
Taking ‘Favourable Conservation Status’ out of the ‘too difficult’ box
Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) is a concept enshrined in international, European and national nature protection laws. Head of Sites Conservation Policy, Kate Jennings explains the idea of identifying what good looks like for habitats and s...(r...
Posted 13/02/2020 by Vanessa Amaral-Rogers -
After the hurricane - Improving small island resilience and self-sufficiency in habitat monitoring and management in the UKOTS
Clearing up: Credit Louise Soames Blog by Lyndon John (RSPB) and Louise Soames The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season dealt devastating blows to the Caribbean region, particularly for the Caribbean UKOTs. The islands of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands.....
Posted 20/06/2019 by Heather Mitchell -
Victory for Harapan Rainforest
Beautiful Hutan Harapan forest is a precious remnant of the rainforest that once covered much of Sumatra (Photo: RSPB-images/Steve Roland) Hutan Harapan is one of the last remaining areas of dry lowland Sumatran forest and is among the most th...(r...
Posted 12/04/2019 by Heather Mitchell