The National Trust is launching an appeal to purchase and protect a large stretch of the white cliffs of Dover.
The Trust already owns the two sections either side of the proposed purchase, meaning that, if successful, this purchase will fill the gap.
The cliffs are a haven for wildlife, including the Adonis blue butterfly, kittiwakes, fulmars and peregrine falcons, and the chalky topside is grazed by Exmoor ponies, enabling certain plants to thrive naturally.
Fiona Reynolds, the Trust’s director-general, is keen to protect such a historically significant area:
‘Immortalised in song and literature, the white cliffs of Dover have become one of the great symbols of our nation. We now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure their future for everyone to enjoy."
Critics have dismissed the necessity of the project, claiming that the project may commercialise and damage the aesthetics of the area.
The cliffs were voted the UK’s third best ‘natural wonder’ in a 2005 Radio Times poll, behind the Dan yr Ogof caves and Cheddar Gorge.
