The Dorset coast is called the Jurassic Coast, and the name is literal: a hundred and fifty kilometres of cliff exposing a continuous record of a hundred and eighty-five million years of Earth history, laid out in order, which is why Mary Anning was able to pull the first recognised ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs out of it and change what people believed about the age of the world.
Behind the cliffs lie the chalk downs of Wessex, ancient grassland grazed by sheep for millennia and, where it survives unploughed, one of the most species-rich habitats in Britain, with dozens of plants in a single square metre and orchids and butterflies to match. Most of it was ploughed in the twentieth century. The heaths of Purbeck, poor and sandy, hold sand lizards, smooth snakes, and Dartford warblers.
The organizations here restore the chalk grassland and reconnect the heaths, protect the harbours and their overwintering birds, and manage a coast whose fame brings the visitors whose feet erode it.
Environmental Organizations in This Bioregion
12 organizations working across this landscape.
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust
The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust is a UK based charity dedicated to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna). Our vision sees am...
Butterfly Conservation
Our vision is a world where butterflies and moths thrive, and can be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
Dorset Climate Action Network
Community led action for all to cut carbon emissions and restore nature across Dorset
Lotus Project
The Lotus Project is a charity aimed at reducing poverty and supporting sustainable development in rural, fast-growing economies.
Orangutan Appeal UK
We strive to protect and preserve the critically endangered orangutan by funding and supporting projects in Malaysian and Indonesia Borneo like Sepilok.
Papua Partners
Working in solidarity with Indigenous people of West Papua for peace and justice
RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea.
SEA LIFE TRUST
The SEA LIFE TRUST is a global marine conservation charity that also operates animal sanctuaries.
The Art of Forests
The Art of Forests: a global movement advancing environmental protection for the public benefit worldwide
The Dorset Children's Foundation
The Dorset Children's Foundation (The DCF) is a small, independent, local charity founded in 2013. Our 3 charity shops in Bournemouth cover our modest overheads so t...