Sammy Fraser joined Robert Hawkes, our Heathland Project Officer in the Brecks to find out more about the work being done on heathland in the Brecks and what makes them so important.....
The RSPB Brecks team works on a landscape scale across the Brecks, which spans approximately a 1,000 square kilometres and encompasses south Norfolk and north Suffolk in its boundaries. The Brecks is a home to a vast wealth of wildlife. Nearly 13,000 different species are found here, some of which are found nowhere else in the UK. This array of wildlife is due to unique climate and geology of the Brecks and the diversity of habitats. Perhaps the most special habitat is Brecks heath.
The UK holds 20% of the world’s heathland. Sadly, an estimated 80% of all the UK’s lowland heathland has been lost since the 1860’s. The Brecks is an important stronghold for grass heathland. This is a seemingly barren semi natural habitat which requires a combination of mostly heavy grazing and bare earth to support a diverse range of species including a range of rare flowers. Heathland in the Brecks also supports a wide variety of invertebrates and internationally protected birds like the stone-curlew.
Image maiden's pink at Weeting Heath Norfolk Wildlife Trust nature reserve by RSPB Brecks Photographer Ian Smith
Unfortunately, the number of heaths in the Brecks and the amount of wildlife they support has declined in recent years, which has been further aggravated by the decline of their star grazers; the humble rabbit. This is where the work of landowners and conservation partners in the Brecks, with the help of Robert Hawkes, are working to turn this around.
Heathland in the Brecks may not look like your stereotypical heather heath. To the untrained eye, Brecks heath may look devoid of life. However, a perfect heath like the one shown in the photograph below can support up to 453 priority species (not including birds and mammals).
Image Thetford Heath by Robert Hawkes By working with partners such as Natural England, Robert is restoring heathland sites in the Brecks by setting up management techniques that favour the greatest range of wildlife. Surprisingly, the technique that packs the biggest punch for Brecks wildlife is ground disturbance – ploughing, rotavating or turf removal. This harks back to the days of old when land in the Brecks was cropped for a year or two before the soils were exhausted and then abandoned and allowed to go back to heathland. The Brecks was also at the heart of rabbit medieval warrening industry and the digging and scraping of rabbits created ideal conditions for the annual plants, lichens and insects which specialise on these barren areas.
Plots have been created on a range of heathland sites. An example of this is one heath managed by Natural England where three ploughed plots have been created along with three rotovated plots. Each plot is about the size of two football pitches. In the long term, it is hoped that these plots will encourage the spread of rabbits, which through their ability to disturb the ground and heavily graze will help to maintain these heaths for important Brecks wildlife into the future.
Image Rotovated plot by Robert Hawkes
During early July, I was lucky enough to go out with Robert to visit one of these plots on a site managed by Natural England. In order to find out whether these plots are working for wildlife, they are monitored for key indicator species including invertebrates, plants and bird species such as lapwings, woodlarks and stone-curlews.
The plot we visited seemed to be working! A pair of lapwings were raising two chicks on the plot, and to Robert’s excitement a pair of stone-curlews, illuminated in the sun shine, appeared to be loitering with the intent of setting up a nest! This is fantastic news and showcasing the result of good management techniques. However, this is only part of the story and we hope that these plots will also deliver for priority Brecks plants and insects.
Image stone-curlew by Chris Knights (rspb-images.com)
Image lapwing chick by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Seeing Robert’s work made me appreciate even more the importance of heathland in the Brecks, but more crucially, how they need to be managed to deliver the most for the rare and threatened wildlife found here. Before I came to the Brecks, I would have expected heathland to look like acres of purple heather. However, after having spent some time with the team I have realised that the sparse overgrazed, parched untidy looking Brecks are actually packed with wildlife. I am looking forward to seeing the results of Robert and our partner’s work in the Brecks to restore the heaths to their former glory.
Image, Robert Hawkes at work by Sammy Fraser
If you fancy seeing this rare habitat for yourself, the best places to visit in the Brecks are Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Weeting Heath and East Wretham Heath nature reserves. To find out more about our work please contact 01842 753732 or thebrecks@rspb.org.uk;