The decade-long link between the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Exmoor Ponies on Knettishall Heath

On February 22, 2012, our photographer Mecha Morton took shots of the release of Exmoor Ponies on Knettishall Heath, as part of Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s five-year Heathland Restoration Programme.

The trust, which is also celebrating 10 years in charge of one of Suffolk’s largest surviving heathland areas of Breckland, was able to secure the land with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a legacy gift from a will and more that £100,000 of donations from members of the public.

A decade on, with numbers now at 15 gelded male ponies roaming the site’s 250-acre grazing area, the project completed and a team of volunteers constantly maintaining the site, the heathland resembles what the site looked like in the 1990s.

Samantha Norris, a Knettishall Heath warden who has been on site from the beginning with the trust, said: “The idea of our project was to restore a lot of lost heathland, as woodland had taken over large areas of the site, by creating corridors to link the areas and open up parts of the heath again.

“The job of the ponies was to graze these areas freely, so we took down all the internal fences, put in cattle grids in, creating a sort of mini New Forest to let them cross all our habitats and help link the heathlands back together.”

The ponies’ grazing has helped to increase the growth of Breckland plants such as purple milk vetch, Breckland thyme and ling heather as well as giving perfect nesting environments to the likes of skylarks and woodcock.

But it has not just been through the work of the ponies for the last decade that has assisted this. Large scale projects and weekly volunteer groups helping maintain the site have also helped the process.

Sam said: “We have done a lot of habitat work, including quite a lot of tree removal in a sensitive way, obviously targeting some of the younger woodland that was not mature habitat growing up on the edge of the heathland.

“We have also scrapped the top layer of soil in some areas, creating bare ground and showing the sandy soil Breckland has which helps Breckland plant species bed in properly to thrive again.

“The ponies then go in and graze stopping the more invasive plants such as bramble and a lot of young trees from taking over.”

These changes to the site to help the wildlife and biodiversity have not gone without their own challenges for the trust though over the years.

Sam said: “Back in 2012 when we came here, one of the biggest challenges was that it used to be a country park so its use and perception of the area itself was very different to what it is now.

“There was a focus on recreation as opposed to conservation and us wanting to turn it into a nature reserve was one of the biggest battles.

“But that has changed over the years, with our guided walks, dogs off leads area and people coming out to see the ponies, these have given us a nice community connection to engage with them about the reserve, our conservation work and the wildlife here.”

The work the trust and the ponies have been doing has also seen success stories, including the return of a ground nesting bird species that came back to the heath after a 15 to 20-year absence.

Sam said: “One of our biggest wins was the return of woodlark - a red data species which needs open heathland to breed and bare ground to feed on that has returned to us over the last three years.

“Being here from the beginning of the project that is one of the lovely things for me, to see that come from our five year plan and the work that the trust and our volunteers continue to do.”

One of the trust’s hopes for the future is the possible return of the elusive nightjar.

A highly camouflaged ground nesting bird, it has not been at Knettishall for around 30 years but it is hoped now that the habitat is right the site may see its return at some point.

Looking back at the transformation of the heath over the decade and the better public awareness on conservation, Sam feels the future looks bright for carrying on the work that was started 10 years ago.

She said: “We have moved from the period when we first came, which was a lot of change during the restoration plan with tree removal and putting in the cattle grids, to maintaining the area and doing essential work.

“The key thing we have been telling people all along is that we are trying to get a messy mix of habitats which is far more natural than it was before when it was a block of woodland and a block of heathland.

“Our work has given us the most biodiversity and, with the heath being a constantly evolving site, this is ideal for our unique wildlife and plants and hopefully enjoyable for the people that come here now and in the future, too.”

For information about Knettishall Heath, go to www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/knettishallheath