Valley Farm, a beautiful part of the Chilterns National Landscape ©BBOWT
Valley Farm Habitat Bank
BBOWT began the long-term management and restoration of Valley Farm in early 2025. This work will enhance and extend our Yoesden Nature Reserve, creating a larger, more connected area of wildlife-rich habitat within the Chilterns National Landscape in south Buckinghamshire.
Valley Farm sits beneath the ‘hanger’ woodland of beech, yew and whitebeam trees within Yoesden Wood. The site will be carefully restored to create flower-rich chalk grassland, supporting a variety of specialist butterflies, including three scarce blue species: the Adonis, chalkhill and small blue.
Through sensitive, adaptive conservation management, BBOWT will enhance and protect the species-rich hedgerows, trees and grassland habitats.
Managing Valley Farm as a Biodiversity Net Gain Habitat Bank will enable us to restore and maintain increased biodiversity on the site over the next 30 years and beyond.
Valley Farm Habitat Bank is now providing BNG units for local developers who are looking to minimise their environmental impact with high-integrity off-site biodiversity.
Green rolling fields and woodland, Valley Farm ©BBOWT
30 Year Vision
The condition of these calcareous grassland habitats has declined after many years of overgrazing and nutrient enrichment, resulting in a noticeable reduction in plant diversity.
BBOWT will reintroduce a conservation grazing regime with targeted oversowing to help increase the abundance of indicator plant species. We will also create and enhance hedgerows and introduce trees to improve habitat connectivity across open fields.
Landscape Recovery
Click on the images below to see how the site will change with time.
Valley Farm's chalk grassland lies beneath the beech, yew and whitebeam trees of Yoesden Wood. Sensitive management is restoring this important habitat, encouraging a greater diversity of wildflowers and the wildlife that depends on them. ©BBOWT
Restoring flower-rich chalk grassland at Valley Farm ©BBOWT
Calcareous grassland habitat and Yoesden Wood ©BBOWT
Green fields, hedgerows and woodland at Valley Farm, part of the Chilterns National Landscape ©BBOWT
Hedgerow planting at Valley Farm, creating wildlife corridors across open fields ©BBOWT
Established hedgerow at Valley Farm ©BBOWT
Ecosystem Services
We are enhancing the existing hedgerows at Valley Farm and planting new species-rich hedgerows with trees to improve connectivity across the landscape. These wildlife corridors will support bats and other small mammals, while also providing nesting and foraging habitat for birds such as yellowhammer, linnet and whitethroat.
We plan to survey the abundance of at least 28 species of butterflies, including those which are scarce and only found in this type of Chilterns landscape.
Buttercups growing in flower-rich chalk grassland ©BBOWT
Experience Nature Recovery
Most of BBOWT’s nature reserves, including Yoesden, are open to the public every day of the year, and we welcome visitors to experience and learn about our work to restore these many different habitats.
Valley Farm unfortunately has limited access, but we are able to provide guided visits on request.
Valley Farm Habitat Bank was officially launched in 2026. Alongside our other BNG Habitat Banks at Duxford Old River and Ludgershall Meadows, it is now providing BNG units for developers who are looking to responsibly minimise their environmental impacts on-site.
Valley Farm Habitat Bank is approved by Buckinghamshire Council as a provider of high-integrity biodiversity units. The site is now registered, managed and monitored in the public domain according to the statutory requirements of Natural England and Defra.
To find out more, including options and costs for BNG, please contact BNG@bbowt.org.uk