Tuesday 24 July 2007

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has been awarded a grant of £50,000 from Biffaward to restore and manage lowland heathland at Buxton Heath SSSI, home to one of only five colonies in Norfolk of the nationally scarce silver-studded blue butterfly. The project will involve practical management through the use of  two vital pieces of equipment, a flail collector and tractor, to ensure the site remains as stated in the SSSI citation, ‘one of the best examples of this rare habitat type in Norfolk.’ 

Lowland heathland is a rare and threatened habitat and, as such, is a priority for nature conservation. In England, only one sixth of the heathland present in 1800 now remains. In order to restore and maintain heathland, constant management of scrub and encroaching trees is essential. Other habitat work includes the use of grazing animals, the creation of turf ponds and brushcutting, to ensure the correct conditions are created and maintained for a range of flora and fauna.

Buxton Heath is owned by a Poors Trust, the Hevingham Fuel Allotment Charity, originally created to provide the poor of the parish with land to graze and cut materials, but now recognised as custodians of an important wildlife habitat. Norfolk Wildlife Trust, & volunteers from the Buxton Heath Wildlife Group work with the owners to restore Buxton Heath.

One of the species to benefit from this project is the silver-studded blue butterfly.  This butterfly requires a very specific environment, including short vegetation and patches of bare soil, along with areas of mature heather for feeding adults, so it is necessary to carefully manage the site as a mosaic of different habitats, in consultation with British Butterfly Society. The Ryetec flail and tractor are capable of removing scrub up to 5 feet tall, including birch, gorse and even tree stumps. It will also clear scrub to reveal areas of bare ground alongside short and long patches of heather. This type of management will also benefits other threatened species including Nightjar and Woodlark.  

Director of Norfolk Wildlife Trust Brendan Joyce commented: “Buxton Heath is one of the best examples of lowland heathland in Norfolk and this generous grant from Biffaward will help Norfolk Wildlife Trust to both protect the existing habitat and directly contribute to the ongoing restoration of this important site.” 

Biffaward is a multi-million pound environment fund managed by Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, which uses landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services. Martin Bettington, Chairman of Biffaward, said: “Biffaward is delighted to be able to support Norfolk Wildlife Trust in its work to restore and manage this valuable habitat.  This is a long-term investment which will bring real improvements. Organisations across the country are working tirelessly to protect our natural environment, and we are keen to support more worthwhile projects such as this one.”