Countryside Minister Elliot Morley MP recently visited Lakenheath Warren, a site of over 500 hectares which is internationally important for wildlife. The site is part of Elveden Farms Ltd, which belongs to Lord Iveagh. A 10 year management agreement has recently been signed under MAFF's Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme.
The signing of the ESA agreement is a landmark during several years' efforts to bring together a wide range of interested parties. For ESA Project Officer Bill Nickson, of the Farming And Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA), it is a solid foundation on which future management of the site can be built.
By any standards, Lakenheath Warren is in the very top flight of wildlife sites. It includes areas of lowland heath, chalk grassland and acid grassland, all of which are priority habitat types under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). It is used by rare bird species such as Stone Curlew, Nightjar, Woodlark and Hen Harrier. It is the only UK location of the Starry Breck-lichen. The only cloud on the horizon is that, during the last 30 or 40 years, the site has been gradually disappearing under a carpet of naturally regenerated pine trees. The ESA agreement aims to redress this balance, return the site to a more open condition and reintroduce the positive management which is essential to the future of the site.
Lakenheath Warren has a fascinating history. Based on the poor, sandy soils typical of Breckland, it provided common grazing and firewood supplies for the inhabitants of nearby Lakenheath. The village is located on the edge of the fens and would have originally had access to open fenland waterways. The name Lakenheath is derived from Laken hythe, "hythe" meaning "landing place". This seems particularly appropriate still, as RAF Lakenheath is just across the road.
During medieval times the site was developed as a huge rabbit warren. In those days, rabbits had not evolved into the hardy breeding machines we now know and love. They had to be cosseted and cared for if they were to survive the harsh times of Breckland winters. Warren banks were built using turves and gorse to demarcate the boundaries and to encourage the delicate creatures to burrow for shelter. Warreners would bring in feed supplies to improve winter survival rates, so that the following year the rabbits could be cropped for supplies of meat and fur. The local economy became heavily dependent on rabbit production and at its peak, Lakenheath Warren is thought to have produced up to 50,000 rabbits each year.
The rise of large country sporting estates led to a change of practice on the warrens, with emphasis on shooting rather than trapping. Lakenheath Warren provided excellent shooting and hunting country for the Elveden Estate, which at the time was owned by the Maharajah Duleep Singh, who was known as the "Black Prince". The agricultural depression of the 1930s led to a period of decline, and part of the site was requisitioned for use as a WW2 airfield.
As a registered Common, Lakenheath Warren is subject to a number of registered common rights. Although recorded under the Commons Registration Act 1965, these are written in delightfully old-fashioned language, and include terms such as the rights to "grazing and shackage of 4 head of neat stock", and "estovers including house bote, hay bote and plough bote". In the case of Lakenheath there are only about a dozen Common Rights holders, some of whom have long since ceased to exercise those rights. However, rights registered under this Act remain valid and must be protected under any ESA agreement. The Lakenheath Commoners have supported the ESA application and continue to graze a small number of sheep on the Common.
So what does the future hold? Firstly, an enormous amount of work. Scrub and bracken control, tree removal, fencing and the reintroduction of grazing require a tremendous commitment of time and resources from the owner. FRCA and MAFF will work with the landowner and partner organisations including English Nature, the Forestry Commission and local authorities to ensure a "joined-up" approach to future management. All work will need to take account of the common rights and public rights of way.
For Elliot Morley, a keen birdwatcher, his visit to Lakenheath Warren was a chance to see at first hand the benefits of a partnership approach to the complex issues on such a valuable site. With the backing of Lord Iveagh, MAFF and all the partner organisations, this very special place looks set to provide a home for its unique range of plants, birds and animals for a long time to come.
Bill Nickson