Ice age pool restoration in Norfolk
The Brecks host a huge proportion of UK threatened species, 58 of them associated with the pingos of Thompson Common. There are more than 400 of these Ice Age pools, which support much rare and threatened wildlife including dragonflies, aquatic snails, England’s rarest amphibian the northern pool frog, and many rare water plants.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust has the chance to buy 140 acres of adjacent arable fields and woodland to protect more space for wildlife, contributing to the Nature Recovery Network by recreating rare habitats which have been lost, allowing wildlife to move across connected habitats and protecting Thompson Common — one of Norfolk’s most exceptional natural sites — against future vulnerability.
Work will focus on restoring ghost pingos, which have already been identified by geospatial mapping, and reinstating the thriving Breckland grass heath known to be present in the 18th century. Taking this land back to its past will actually increase its resilience in the future.
Shaun Lawson
