10th to 12th September, 2024 at Springfield Country Hotel in Dorset
Conference Agenda
Provisional conference agenda 2024...
10th September 2024
10:00 - 12:30 Registration
10:30 - 12:30 - Discussion group: Strategic mitigation approaches
Facilitator: Stephen Fry, independent heathland consultant
An opportunity for sharing ideas and lessons learnt. A relaxed opportunity for networking and informal discussion on the topic of strategic mitigation approaches, while people arrive.
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 13:45 Welcome to the National Heathland Conference 2024
Stephen Fry, independent heathland consultant
13:45 - 15:30 - Session 1
Session chair: Clive Chatters
Kicking off the agenda with a big topic. Rewilding on heathlands; understanding the processes, addressing the opportunities and challenges. How can we rewild, how can we provide connectivity and how can we manage the fragmented heathland landscape?
How “wild” can heaths be?
Speaker: Prof. James Bullock, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Invertebrate heath-forest connectivity
Speaker: Dr Scott Pedley, Manchester Metropolitan University
Urban heath challenges, specifically for Nightjars
Speakers: Terry Elborn, Bournemouth Christchurch Poole Council & Brian Cresswell, Lotek
15:30 - 15:45 Tea break
15:45 - 17:30 - Session 2
Session chair: Frances McCullagh, Natural England
Partnerships are a big theme for the conference and the focus of session 2. Making partnerships and how we work with people. How can the economics of heathland management, involving communities and members of the public, achieve common goals?
Latest from Cannock Chase partnership working
Speaker: Georgina Sharp, Cannock Chase SAC
Latest from Pebblebed partnership
Speaker: Kim Strawbridge, Pebblebed Heaths
An introduction to the Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve
Speaker: David Brown, National Trust
17:30 - 19:45 Break and evening meal
(The hotel is NOT open for bar meals during the evening as previously stated).
19:45 - 21:30 Panel discussion: With conservation veterans
Facilitator: Stephen Fry, independent heathland consultant
11th September 2024
Purbeck Heaths NNR
Coordinator: David Brown, National Trust, and partners
A day spent visiting the UK's first 'super' National Nature Reserve at Purbeck Heaths. The NNR was declared in 2020 and brings together several different land owners and organisations, specifically; RSPB, National Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Forestry England, Rempstone Estate, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Natural England. It spans 3,331 hectares and covers a range of habitats from coastal dune and saltmarsh to acid grassland, valley mires and the largest low lying wet and dry heathland. A key management tool for restoring important natural process is the Purbeck Wild Grazing Project, in which a third of the NNR is now a single open grazing unit for cattle, pigs and horses. The area is an important destination for tourists, and central to the NNR has been tackling the issue of sustainable tourism. Topics ranging from low carbon, diversity, economy and nature connectedness are addressed with the involvement of the local councils, schools, outdoor adventure activity providers and local food and drink producers.
The field trip will include talks from:
• The NNR partners
• The local grazier
• Local food and drink providers – and we will be sampling their produce!
• Outdoor recreation providers to discuss their working relationships
• Environmental management contractors to demonstrate their techniques
• Bournemouth University discussing the monitoring undertaken
• Dorset Dogs on their involvement on recreation management.
18:30 - 19:30 Evening meal
(All day 2 delegates are automatically booked for dinner.)
19:30 - 20:30 - After dinner: Who are heathlands for?
A discussion on the challenges of access and engagement on heathlands, focusing on barriers faced by different groups in society, including those created by conservation organisations, and how we address these to improve nature connectedness.
12th September 2024
9:00 - 10:15 - Session 3
Session chair: David Brown, National Trust
The theme this morning is the monitoring of success and failure. Discussing how species monitoring and interventions are monitored.
Condition monitoring, and is it time to redefine heathland?
Speaker: Frances McCullagh, Natural England
Place-based pilot: Purbeck favourable conservation status
Speaker: Chris Panter, Footprint Ecology
10:15 - 10:30 Tea break
10:30 - 12:30 - Session 4
Session chair: Nick Sibbett, The Landscape Partnership
Turning our attention to the challenges of climate change on heathlands, both for our wet and dry heathland.
Climate change adaptation and microclimates in lowland heaths
Speaker: Marijke Thoonen, Research Institute for Nature and Forest
Palaeoecology for conservation: A case study of heathland management at Chobham Common
Speaker: Ben Siggery, Surrey Wildlife Trust / University of Surrey
Peat restoration, what have you got and what can you learn from it? Case study: Wishmoor Valley Mire NFM Pathfinder Project
Speakers: Dr Mike Simmonds, University of Reading & Ben Habgood, Surrey Wildlife Trust
12:30 - 13:15 Lunch
13:15 - 15:15 - Session 5
Session chair: Neil Sanderson, British Lichen Society
The final session takes a look at the latest thinking and examples of the ecology and management of heathland.
Sand Lizards: Exploring the implications of rare species recovery for heathland managers
Speaker: Paul Edgar, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
Managing Silver Birch without pesticides at Bucklebury Common
Speaker: Alex Cruickshank, Sundew Ecology
Pesticides and herbicides
Speaker: Toby Taylor, RSPB
15:15 Round-up and goodbyes