Present-day Ecology of the Folkestone Escarpment

Abstract

The chalklands of southern Britain are a familiar tract of country with its own characteristic flora, fauna and ecology (Smith, 1980). There is regional variation in the distribution of species on the Chalk, much depending on the proximity to the coast and on precise location and aspect. Sites in the extreme south-east of England tend to have greater numbers of species, not only because the temperatures are slightly warmer but also because some south-facing slopes are able to support ther-mophilous species at the northern limit of their European ranges.