Habitats of the Heath
Dunwich Heath and Beach has been in the care of the Trust since 27th March 1968, the landscape returned to its traditional heathland and maintained ever since. Further sections of land were added in 2002 thanks to Pizza Express who sold their ‘Neptune’ seafood pizza to raise funds, and in 2015 thanks to the WREN land acquisition fund and the Enterprise Neptune Campaign. This land now forms the acid grassland and heathland of Mount Pleasant Fields.
The big question you might be asking though, is why? Why is the heathland, grassland and neighbouring habitats important enough to take ownership and preserve them? The answer lies beneath your feet…
The soil that makes the gently rolling slopes of the former Dunwich Common is mainly sand. This creates perfect conditions for the successful growth of Heather, forming lowland heath. Lowland heath used to be prevalent across England, but in the last 120 years has declined by 92%, making Dunwich Heath one of the very few habitats of its kind left, supporting the many rare wildlife and plant species that rely on its ecology. Acid grassland covers large parts of the Mount Pleasant Fields, though patches of heather do crop up. No less diverse than the heath to its south, these fields are also an important habitat for threatened species such as the Stone Curlew.
There are several other smaller habitats that have important roles to play in the ecology of Dunwich Heath. Firstly, Docwra’s ditch, the belt of wetland running along our southern boundary. This area supports all manner of amphibians, insects, waterfowl, water mammals such as Otters and Water Voles, and reed birds. The second is the beach and cliffs. The beach supports rare plant life, such as Sea Pea, and the cliffs provide the perfect soil for Sand Martins to make their nests. Finally, there are several areas of sun baked sandy cliffs, ideal conditions for rare insects such as the Ant Lion and the Spider Wasp.
All these habitats make up the patchwork of Dunwich Heath, protected by the National Trust Forever, For Everyone. The land is further protected by the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, guarding the different habitats within its bounds for generations to come. As for how we protect and manage these extraordinary and essential areas, read on to find out…
Heather Heaven
Heather, despite being a hardy species, requires management to thrive. We cut the heather to keep a mosaic of varying ages across the site, so that the whole won’t suddenly reach the end of its life in one go. Large areas of young single age and similar height heather we cut and leave to regrow from the plants. If the heather is degenerating or there is unwanted vegetation growing like bracken, gorse or scrub we cut them down, then scrape to expose the dormant heather seeds. Heather seeds can lay dormant for up to sixty years, which is equivalent to two heather plant life cycles!
In some parts of the UK, management of heathland is achieved through burning. This is not the case for us however, as the risk of fires getting out of control and destroying the entire heath is far too great, unlike the upland moors which cover a large enough area for it to be low risk. Furthermore, by cutting and scraping the heather we create sun traps for reptiles and insects and can use the cuttings and seedlings to encourage or restore new heath. We also share the cuttings with other organisations, such as the RSPB and private owners, to help their sites.