Securing Biodiversity in Breckland - European Commission

milder winters and increased winter rainfall in recent decades. Nitrogen deposition is a severethreat, semi-natural habitats have received 1-2 tonnes of Nitrogen per ha over the last century. 15 species previously recorded in Breckland are believed to be extinct in the UK or England The BBA collated recent records for 10 other species considered to be extinct nationally,giving hope that these may survive in Breckland. These now need urgent survey to confirmtheir status. A further 25 species are thought to have been lost from the region (locally extirpated)although they persist elsewhere in the UK. For seven well monitored vascular plant taxa restricted to Breckland, more than half of thepopulations (54%) have been lost (since 1985).The ecological requirements of priority biodiversity The BBA analysed the ecological requirements of the 2,000+ priority species forconservation in Breckland to provide management guidance for their conservation. The BBA has confirmed the importance of intensively grazed and physically disturbedhabitats, as previously recognised. However, more priority species for conservation in Breckland depend on physicallydisturbed conditions in an ungrazed (or only lightly-grazed) context. These should beprimarily conserved on farmland, on brown field sites, in the forest landscape and in largeextensive heathland complexes. Species of physically disturbed and ungrazed conditionswere significantly more likely to be considered extinct, than other priority species. Approaches to management have been too homogenous. Many species require structuralcomplexity, including mosaics of different sward structure, juxtaposition of bare disturbedsoil with intact swards, juxtaposition of grazed and ungrazed elements, or patches ofscattered scrub in open habitats. Rare species of woodland, veteran trees and dead wood also occur in Breckland. Open standing water, littoral margins and open fen habitats are vitally important toBreckland biodiversity and support many more priority species than shaded wetlandhabitats (e.g. damp/wet woodland). Different priority species were associated with grazedand ungrazed fen conditions and a range of vegetation structures is required.The effectiveness of BAP species as figureheads to deliver wider benefits for priority biodiversityA large proportion of the guilds were represented by one or more figurehead priority BAP species.Overall, a series of habitat based prescriptions constructed on the basis of understanding therequirements of BAP species would provide conditions for the majority of priority species.However, there are notable exceptions, with a few specialist groups of species poorly representedby BAP figurehead species, particularly wetland species associated with deadwood or detritus, anddry terrestrial species associated with deadwood in open woodland or scrub mosaics.The extent to which the known distribution of BAP species represents site priorities for theirrepresentative guilds requires investigation, but is likely to be congruent.Current conservation management is not sufficient to support priority biodiversityRecently fallowed brecks have been virtually entirely absent from the Breckland landscape for thelast sixty years. The resource of early successional breck vegetation has aged, accumulating organicmatter, nutrients and favouring closed sward vegetation.7