The Sussex Study - 56 years of monitoring invertebrates and flora on South Downs farms

In this bitesize episode I’m out in the field at the Wiston Estate with a team from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. They’re here to collect data as part of an exciting long-term study which, at the time of recording, has been running for 56 years. This study is the world’s longest-running scientific monitoring project measuring the impact of changing farming practices on arable flora and invertebrates. We learn how decades of data collection from a dedicated team carrying out annual suction sampling and botanical surveys, over several farms on the South Downs, are helping us better understand how nature is changing on farmland in response to agri-environment policies. Due to the sound from the suction sampler and the team’s tight schedule this is a shorter than normal episode, but I do hope you enjoy it!For more information check out this webpage: https://www.gwct.org.uk/research/long-term-monitoring/sussex-study/50-years-of-monitoring-an-agricultural-ecosystem/