Breckland farmers wildlife network

About Us

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Who we are

The Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network is made up of 70 farms, covering over 53,000ha of land, ranging from large estates to smallholdings, with farming systems varying from high yield vegetable production to extensive livestock grazing on heathland. 

As a farmer-led group we have a shared mission to restore biodiversity in one of the country’s most important regions for food production.  

The work of the group is informed by decades of research led by the University of East Anglia. This emphasizes the critical role farmers play in conserving specialist Breckland species that rely on physical ground disturbance, which can be created using farming techniques. 

Our aims
To protect and enhance the biodiversity of the Brecks.
To help shape future policy to benefit this area. ​
To consider current and future impacts & balance of food production & ecology in the Brecks.


Our landscape

At the heart of East Anglia lies the 100,000ha (400 square miles) of the Brecks National Character Area. Also known as Breckland. ​

This remarkable landscape is characterised by low rainfall and light, sandy soils over chalk. The Brecks has a varied natural and land-use history which has created one of the most unique and wildlife rich landscapes in Britain.

The very first farmers arrived in the Brecks some 6000 years ago, drawn to the area because of the light, workable soil. The Brecks remains an important area for food production today, with over two-thirds of the area under cultivation.

The Brecks is home to:

More than 12,856 species

2,149 priority species for conservation

72 species whose UK distribution is restricted to or has a primary stronghold here

The origins of BFWN stem from the culmination of one farmer’s vision, and the publication of a groundbreaking piece of scientific research called the Breckland Biodiversity Audit. Back in 2010, Paul Dolman, Professor of Conservation Ecology at UEA, introduced the findings of the Brecks Biodiversity Audit (BBA) to a group of conservations and farmers.

They discussed the fragmentation of habitat in the Brecks, and how links and corridors through farmland could increase habitat connectivity and allow species to move through the landscape. Soon after a small group of farmers, led by local sheep farmer Richard Evans, worked together to create the ‘Harling Biodiversity Corridor’. This initial vision was to establish a habitat corridor by creating a continuous network of cultivated, unsown arable margins linking up Bridgham Heath, Brettenham Heath and Knettishall Heath, which could be used to move livestock between sites.

Regularly crossing paths with Rob Hawkes, a UEA PhD (ADD LINK) student investigating the outcomes of the BBA, Richard Evans’ appreciation and enthusiasm for the unique wildlife of the Brecks continued to grow. Inspired to share this beyond just his immediate neighbours, Richard invited Rob to share his findings with a number of farmers from across the Brecks, marking the first unofficial meeting of the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network.

What we do

On the ground
Do things differently
Sharing information
Research and monitoring
  • Creation and management of uncropped, cultivated arable margins ​
  • Supplementary feeding for turtle doves ​
  • Restoration/resurrection of ghost pingos ​
  • Leading a Round 1 Landscape Recovery Project ​
  • Led 2 Defra Test and Trial projects ​
  • 1-2-1 advice visits for member farms ​
  • Regular farm walks ​
  • Bespoke guidance notes ​List Item
  • Cultivated margin monitoring
  • Engagement with academics and researchers

Who we work with
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