Flowers everywhere? England’s ambitious scheme to restore wildlife hangs in the balance

Government pilot, due to launch this month, promises to protect and enhance biodiversity, but remains dogged by delays and uncertainty

In a field in the South Downs national park, undulating green hills meet the sky. In the distance, villages built of flint sit in the valleys, and chalky white cliffs lie like giant beached whales above the Channel.For decades, the field where I'm standing has been in an arable cycle. It was last sown for wheat in 2022, and this year would have been planted with barley.

Instead, it was sown with wildflowers: yarrow, vetches, clovers and oxeye daisies lie awaiting spring, when the monotonous green will break out into a sea of colour.