Wilmington Downs
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| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | East Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TQ 544 030[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 209.8 hectares (518 acres)[1] |
| Notification | 1986[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Wilmington Downs is a 209.8-hectare (518-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Eastbourne in East Sussex.[1][2] The site includes a Scheduled Monument, the Long Man of Wilmington, a turf cut figure which may be of prehistoric origin.[3]
This site is mainly chalk grassland on the steep slope of the South Downs. It is important for invertebrates, including two protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, the wart-biter grasshopper and the snail Monacha cartusiana. There are also several unusual species of lichens and mosses.[4]
