A survey of the invertebrate life on some of our coastal cliffs is planned for this summer. Buglife, the national invertebrate charity, are currently running a soft cliffs project and last year discovered a number of rare insects on the crumbling glacial cliffs in Yorkshire.

Soft, eroding cliffs often have just the right amount of bare ground and a diversity of flowering plants to support important assemblages of insects, but the cliffs from the Tyne estuary to the Durham coast have never been systematically surveyed before.

Rare species such the shrill carder bee Bombus sylvarum and the chestnut click beetle Anostirus castaneus are possible finds according to Buglife, who are currently working with the Durham Biodiversity Partnership to organise the survey.

Funding for the survey is coming from a number of partners, all of whom recognise the importance of the work. Durham County Council, Durham Heritage Coast , South Tyneside Council, Sunderland Council and Easington District Council are all chipping in for the work to take place.

Any information from the project will help inform the Durham BAP, and locate the best examples of the new priority habitat - Coastal Soft Cliffs.

Further details of the survey and results, when available, will be published on this page and in the document store.

More information from info@durhambiodiversity.org.uk

Coastal Habitats Action Plan

Buglife