Securing Biodiversity in Breckland - European Commission

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considering the distribution of similar calcareous soil and freely draining slopes, and even thenremains uncertain given the variation in soil, management history and local site conditions.Validation and survey would be highly desirable and an ideal, but implementing appropriatemeasures on best evidence should not be delayed.Networks for resilienceThe remaining high-quality wildlife habitat in Breckland is fragmented (see Figure 33). Species areisolated in small sites and the landscape is hostile to species dispersal between such sites.The Lawton Report “Making Space for Nature” (Lawton et al. 2010) has emphasised the importanceof networks and connectivity for biodiversity. Regional Ecological Networks projects have beenimplemented in both Suffolk and Norfolk, and the Brecks Workshop (Perkin and Norden 2007) calledfor a detailed ecological network to be planned for the Breckland.The benefits of ecological networks are unproven, but different approaches (corridors, steppingstones, increased permeability) are all likely to be bring some benefits to some groups.Figure 33. Network analysis of the 87.1km 2 of dry grass-heaths resource across Breckland, showing potentialnetworks for hypothetical taxa with differing dispersal abilities (100m meters, giving 162 networks eachisolated from the next; 1km giving 52 networks, and 2km giving a single connected network). FromHardman (2010).192
Creating networks for resilienceTo reduce biodiversity losses from existing sites and to allow restoration and resilience ofpopulations for the longer term, opportunities should be taken to Restore and ensure continuity of appropriate conditions within remaining sites. Consolidate adjacent sites into larger contiguous integrated units for management acrossland-ownership boundaries. This will increase the potential size and resilience of speciespopulations, particularly of highly specialist species. Buffer and expand existing sites, where possible, so that conditions and populations aremore likely to be sustained within them. Buffering of some heathland sites has beenachieved, for example at Weeting and Cranwich and this approach should be extended wherepossible. Develop connectivity networks to enhance the resilience of sites and of the biodiversity theyprotect and to provide opportunities for dispersal and recolonisation.This needs a coordinated and integrated strategic approach to conservation planning across sites,rather than just within. It is the latter, intra-site scale which currently dominates conservationactivity.Suggestions are made below on re-uniting fragments that are either immediately adjacent, or locatednearby, and that could potentially be joined into larger contiguous complex units.Example of a potential networkThetford Heath once covered a wide sweep of landscape to the west, south-west and south ofThetford. It is now reduced in extent to Thetford Heaths SSSI, which exists as three potentiallycontiguous units that are under separate ownership and are currently fragmented and isolated byintervening woodland belts (see next page). The units include the unfavourable western unit 1(condition unfavourable no change), the core NNR (the only part currently in favourable condition),and the Eastern unit 3 (Barnham MOD camp in unfavourable recovering condition). By removal ofparts of the screening woodlands, there is potential to integrate these into a single suite ofcontiguous habitat, physically continuous with Barnham Cross Common SSSI (also unfavourablerecovering). Taking advantage of the hard barriers and lack of single grazing regime, areas ofungrazed physically disturbed habitat could be created as linking elements along boundaries. Theneed to retain screening for breeding stone curlew will impose constraints on some boundaries, butit appears that current approaches to management of these sites are considered in isolation andwithout integration.193
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Securing Biodiversityin BrecklandGu
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Commissioning GroupNeil Featherston
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Wind-blown sand guild .............
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milder winters and increased winter
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Creating broad ruderal and disturbe
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Introduction“Few of the lowland d
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Inland DunesThe 1km wide dune and b
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Following the Black Death of the mi
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The area of grass-heath declined by
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PingosPingos are ground water fed p
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Breckland Conservation and the Need
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SSSI. The Breckland Forest SSSI cit
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The Breckland Biodiversity Audit ha
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The Breckland bio-geographic region
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polygons of alternating calcareous
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quality calcareous fen communities
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Figure 2. The extent of Breckland,
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Table 3. Grass-heath vegetation in
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The Conservation Resource: Designat
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All other SSSIs are less than 600 h
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GrasslandHeathWoodlandWetlandFlowin
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Calcicolous grasslandsShingle, stra
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Figure 4. Location of designated si
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Figure 6. Location of Plantlife’s
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Figure 7. Locations of stations in
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Scheme for Stilt & Stalk Flies, Dra
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Table 6. Rare vascular plant specie
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Recommendation BTO be commissioned
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Table 7. Species for which records
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Table 8. Descriptions of Red Data B
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If the sub-species was designated b
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Collating and Synthesising Species
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Table 11. Published, documentary an
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Baron de Worms, C.G.M. (1953) Colle
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Guild AnalysisA number of habitat a
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The specific questions for the work
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Findings of the Breckland Biodivers
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Recording Effort and CoverageThere
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Butterfly Conservation (Suffolk) 17
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Norfolk Biodiversity InformationSer
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Figure 11. Number of taxonomic grou
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difference is partly attributable t
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There were Breckland specialist spe
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Figure 13. Proportion of Breckland
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Distribution of Breckland Conservat
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Figure 15. Number of Breckland cons
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Evidence of Climatic Change: Long-T
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Figure 17. Total seasonal precipita
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Biodiversity Implications of the Ch
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Ariel depositions to agricultural s
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the status of Deschampsia flexuosa.
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The relative effects of ploughing,
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Trends in Species Status: Extinctio
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HymenopteraHymenopteraHymenopteraCo
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In addition to the loss of rare lic
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edstraw Galium parisiense (Tansley
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The relative extent of lichen rich
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The Feasibility and Usefulness of t
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Across patch arrangementLandscape c
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Across patcharrangementJuxtapositio
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Delivery of Multiple Species by Int
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Mechanical disturbance to create br
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estricted to road verges, with the
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Records of species from this guild
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© Jeremy Earlywww.natureconservati
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Open with sward mosaics guildChryso
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Page 159 and 160: Complex Sward MosaicsComplex sward
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Page 165 and 166: Key Recommendations for Cultivated
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Page 171 and 172: Ecological Requirements of Wetland
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Page 175 and 176: Recommendation Requirements of wetl
Page 177 and 178: Figure 31. Number of Breckland cons
Page 179 and 180: Restored pingo complexAt Great Hock
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Page 185 and 186: Strategic Challenges to Biodiversit
Page 187 and 188: Table 22. Problems arising from poo
Page 189 and 190: Recommendation: Natural England and
Page 191: It is therefore vital to carefully
Page 195 and 196: More ambitious possibilities that c
Page 197 and 198: Figure 34. Example of a potential c
Page 199 and 200: Connectivity networks© Neal Armour
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Page 205 and 206: ReferencesADAS. (1997) Biological M
Page 207 and 208: Haes, E. C. M. & Harding, P. T. (19
Page 209 and 210: Sastre, B.(2003). Ground spider com
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Securing Biodiversity in Breckland - European Commission

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