Hackhurst and White Downs

{{Short description|Protected area in Surrey, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox SSSI

|image= Hackhurst Downs - geograph.org.uk - 72214.jpg

|image_caption = Hackhurst Downs

|name= Hackhurst and White Downs

|aos= Surrey

|interest=Biological

|gridref={{gbmappingsmall|TQ 117 491}}

|area= {{convert|185.1|ha|acre|abbr=off}}

|notifydate= 1986

|map=[https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271004353%27 Magic Map]

}}

Hackhurst and White Downs is a {{convert| 185.1 |ha|acre|abbr=off|adj=on}} biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Dorking in Surrey.{{cite web|url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1004353&SiteName=&countyCode=41&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: Hackhurst and White Downs | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date = 8 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271004353%27 |title=Map of Hackhurst and White Downs|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date= 8 November 2018}} White Downs is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2,{{cite book|editor-first=Derek |editor-last=Ratcliffe |title=A Nature Conservation Review|volume=2 |pages=118–19 |publisher= Cambridge University Press|location =Cambridge, UK |year=1977|isbn= 0521 21403 3 }} and part of it is in the {{convert| 200 |ha|acre|abbr=off|adj=on}} White Downs nature reserve, which is owned by the Wotton Estate and managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT).{{cite web|url=https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves/white-downs |title= White Downs |publisher= Surrey Wildlife Trust |access-date= 18 October 2018}} Hackhurst Downs is a {{convert| 29.9 |ha|acre|abbr=off|adj=on}} Local Nature Reserve,{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1008931&SiteName=hackhu&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea=|title= Hackhurst Downs|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England| access-date= 8 November 2018}}{{cite web|url= https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=Ref_CODE%3D%271008931%27|title=Map of Hackhurst Downs|series= Local Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England| access-date= 8 November 2018}} which part of the {{convert| 40 |ha|acre|abbr=off|adj=on}} Hackhurst Downs nature reserve, which is owned by Surrey County Council and also managed by the SWT.{{cite web|url= https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves/hackhurst-downs |title= Hackhurst Downs |publisher= Surrey Wildlife Trust |access-date= 8 November 2018}}

This steeply sloping land is a shared escarpment with Ranmore Common, amounting to an almost whole section of the North Downs, which has grassland, secondary woodland and scrub. It has a rich invertebrate fauna with forty species of butterfly, including adonis blue, chalkhill blue, brown hairstreak, Duke of Burgundy fritillary, marbled white and silver-spotted skipper.{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1004353.pdf |title=Hackhurst and White Downs citation|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date= 8 November 2018}}