The Sandlings Group

by James Mann

The Sandlings Group is part of the Suffolk Coast and Heath partnership and aims to promote the conservation, restoration and re-creation oflowland heath in the Sandlings and increase public awareness and support for this special landscape.

The objectives of the Sandlings Group are:(i) To conserve all remaining areas of Sandlings heathland to ensure that:(a) This distinctive element of the coastal landscape together with its historical and cultural association survives for the benefit of this and future generations. (b) The habitat requirements of the heathland plants and animals are maintained to safeguard their future survival.

(ii) To encourage and support the reversion of land back to heathland wherever feasible.

(iii) To promote and co-ordinate the study of the ecology of the Sandlings heathland to provide base data for management. (iv) To maintain and enhance the Heaths as a resource for informal public recreation and education. (v) To promote public awareness of the importance of conserving heathland through interpretation and publicity. (vi) To provide a network for information exchange between organisations involved in heathland conservation.

(vii) To encourage local community involvement in heathland conservation initiative.

The Sandlings Group's principal roles are to ensure a co-ordinated approach to heathland conservation in the Sandlings. The group as such is not an independent fund-holding organisation however it provides support to the Sandlings project and other organisations involved in heathland management activities. All financial and administrative matters associated with the project and any corporate initiatives are dealt with by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The group receives, from the project, interim progress reporrs and an annual report which includes a budget statement. The group is responsible for co-ordinating heathland management within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and reports progress to the meeting of the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths partnership. The group meets four times a year. The core members are:-

• English Nature • Farming & Rural Conservation Agency • Forest Enterprise • Greenways Countryside Project • National Trust • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds • Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Project • Suffolk Coastal District Council • Suffolk County Council • Suffolk Wildlife Trust

The group is chaired by one of the members of the group and is reviewed every three years. The group is administered by the Suffolk Coastal District Council, again subject to a three yearly review. Representatives from other organisations are co-opted at various times ro facilitate an improved understanding and co-ordination of management initiatives. We in Suffolk Butterfly Conservation were involved last year in checking various sites for bell heather to assess their suitability for Silver-studded Blues. This has already resulted in the release of Silver-studded blues at a new site, as featured in the local press and on television The Sandlings Group is an excellent example of many organisations working together for the good of an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Thanks go to the Sandlings group for giving us permission to extract much of the above from their terms of reference.

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In response to Wilfred George's article (last newsletter)

by Steve Goddard

I was very interested to read about Large

White larvae still feeding as late as December of 1997 (Large and Late by Wilfrid George, volume 14).

Like Wilfrid, I also wondered whether this was a record. However, I was astounded to find that on reference to The Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland, volume 7, part I, Emmet & Heath (Eds), Harley Books, it transpires that larvae occur 'ftom early May to early December and very occasionally into January ... '. Sorry Wilfrid, it seems that you needed to leave your cabbages to the ravages of these caterpillars for at least another month to claim any record!

Silver-studded Blue by Beryl Johnson