Hi all. This is my first blog so I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert Hawkes and I’m the RSPB grass heath project officer for the East of England. The Brecks is located in north Suffolk and south Norfolk and is nearly 1000 square kilometres. This region is home to the largest extent of grass heath habitat in the UK, so as can be imagined; I spend most of my time here.
The Brecks, as you will be aware from my colleague’s blogs, is home to nearly 13,000 species. Over 2000 of these species are of national importance for conservation, with some occurring no where else in the UK. As I’m sure you can appreciate this is a truly remarkable statistic, but one that could only be made available through an innovative new approach to conservation - biodiversity auditing. Biodiversity auditing involves collecting as many species records as possible across a given region and time span. Once these records have been collected, it is possible to identify which species are of conservation concern, where these species live, and what management they need to thrive. The Brecks was the first region in the UK that this approach was applied too, and I’m pleased to report it punches well above its weight in terms of its conservation importance.
One key outcome of the biodiversity approach is the recognition of those priority species which we typically overlook. Birds and mammals are generally well recognised, and in some cases, well monitored. However, the same cannot be said for insects, which often need specialist knowledge to successfully identify. By considering all species both big and small, the audit not only recognised these under recorded species, but demonstrated which ones are of conservation importance.
By auditing biodiversity in the Brecks, we now have a sound evidence base for taking conservation forward. One of the key findings of this report was that many priority species in the Brecks require periodic ground disturbance in order to thrive, conditions that were once common place in the Brecks. For example, rabbits, which were introduced in the Brecks in the 13th centaury, were farmed for their meat and fir in large commercial warrens. At these high densities, rabbits created the conditions which many priority species require (through intense grazing and burrowing). Rabbits, and their role in Breckland conservation, will be the subject of my next blog.
Photo: Rabbit by Ian Smith.
Restoring these conditions to the dry-open habitats of the Brecks (i.e. arable farmland and grass heathland) is essential if we are to cater for the rich biodiversity which this region is so special for. We are working with a wide range of local partners to achieve this ambition, so watch this blog for updates.
The Breckland Biodiversity Audit was commissioned by the Norfolk and Suffolk Biodiversity Partnerships, Plantlife, Forestry Commission, Brecks Partnership and Natural England, and was undertaken by the University of East Anglia. The report can be downloaded from the reports and publication page of the Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership website under ‘Securing Biodiversity in Breckland. Guidance for conservation and research (main report)’: www.norfolkbiodiversity.org. For any one interested in finding out more I recommend checking this fantastic bit of work out.
Robert Hawkes
RSPB Grass Heath Project Officer, the Brecks