Devastating fire sweeps across Dunwich Heath
Wildfires destroy, will you help repair?
Please, give what you can, and we will ensure that your gift goes where the need is greatest — to best protect and restore Dunwich Heath.
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your £50 could reduce future wildfire risk.
You can help Dunwich Heath recover and thrive in a changing climate.
On 29 July, a wildfire started, which later spread onto Dunwich Heath and the entire landscape was engulfed in flames. A place loved for its sweeping purple heather and rare wildlife has been left scarred almost beyond recognition.
The devastation is heartbreaking.
Precious habitat is damaged and vulnerable; an area estimated to be the size of 210 football pitches has been affected. As one of the UK's most important coastal heathland landscapes, it is home to nightjars, Dartford warblers, adders, common lizards and rare heathland insects.
We're looking at total devastation of a landscape. We’ve lost precious habitats, wildlife, trees, and a place where people have made memories over generations. It’s heartbreaking.
A quote by Hilary McGradyNational Trust Director-General
The impact of this fire will be felt for years to come.
Only recently, Dunwich Heath had shown remarkable signs of recovery after the extreme heat and drought of 2022. Heather was returning, specialist moth populations were increasing, and Dartford warbler numbers had recovered close to pre-drought levels.
Now that progress has been burnt away. We need your help to re-build what has been lost.
Dunwich Heath is a special place for so many of us. It is home to wildlife found in very few locations across the UK. But as our climate changes, bringing hotter summers, longer periods of drought and an increasing risk of wildfires, we must help nature adapt to new conditions.
Moving forward we will need to create a healthier, more resilient landscape that can support wildlife long into the future.
Your support is vital to seeing this come to life.
Dunwich local teams, just like all National Trust local teams, have already been undertaking work to adapt to the changing climate. These fires and extreme weather conditions due to climate change are catastrophic. Moments like this bring reality into focus – the impacts of climate change are exceeding original predictions – and we must respond. We must be able to plan for a different future and start adapting today.
It is not just an environmental crisis, but a human crisis too. Wildfires like this are catastrophic for local communities – people have been evacuated, unable to return home. We have seen this community come together to help each other and make a huge difference to reducing the spread of the fire. But everything comes at a cost.
With your support, we can help restore this heathland habitat, protect species that depend on it, and create a landscape better able to withstand future climate extremes.
Will you stand with us and show your support with a donation today?
See the damage caused by the Dunwich Heath fire
An arial view of the devastation caused by the Dunwich Heath Fire in July 2026.
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Donate today and you can:
Support rare species
Help wildlife recover after this devastating fire. Your support could aid habitat recovery for species including nightjars, Dartford warblers, adders, common lizards and heathland specialist insects that depend on Dunwich Heath for survival.
Restore for a changing climate
As hotter, drier summers increase the risk of wildfire, we're helping create a healthier, more resilient landscape. Your support could help us restore habitats that are better able to withstand future climate extremes.
Revive precious heathland
Dunwich Heath is one of the UK's most important coastal heathland habitats. Your donation could help restore damaged heathland, monitor wildlife recovery and give nature the best chance to thrive for generations to come.
Your donation will help nature recover from this devastating fire and support a more resilient landscape for generations to come. We don't yet know the full extent of the damage, or where we'll need to focus our efforts first. Please, give what you can, and we will ensure that your generous gift goes to where the need is greatest - to best restore and protect Dunwich Heath.
If people would like to help us, wherever you are in the country, please do consider donating. This site is too important to too many people and too many species not to restore it - so that's what we're going to do. But we need help to make it happen.
A quote by Russell ClementNational Trust General Manager Suffolk and Essex Coast
Before the fire, Dunwich Heath was a heathy heathland site in excellent ecological condition.
We're not just restoring Dunwich Heath to what it was. We're helping it become what it needs to be.
Large or business donations
If you want to support this appeal with a large donation, or on behalf of a business, you can speak to our Philanthropy team directly by emailing giving@nationaltrust.org.uk.