A SCHEME to boost numbers of butterflies has unexpectedly seen the return of a species once close to extinction across Sussex.

The Brighton Blues project, led by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), has welcomed back the silver-spotted skipper butterfly.

The project was set up to improve and increase areas of rare chalk grassland, which several species of butterfly depend on to thrive.

Phillippa Morrison-Price, a ranger for the SDNPA, said: “Chalk grassland is one of the most endangered habitats in the country and vital to the survival of wildlife but it only exists because of the grazing that’s taken place here over thousands of years.

"Through this project we’ve been able to introduce grazing into new areas and clear encroaching scrub."

Neil Hulme, who works for project partner Butterfly Conservation, said decades of decline in the "rich and unique habitat" could be reversed with good management.

The project is supported by a grant of £39,425 awarded by The Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund.