RSPB and Lafarge partnership at Sandy Heath

Rare heathland habitat at Sandy Heath, in Bedfordshire, which is home to a wide and diverse range of plant and animal species, will be protected for decades to come thanks to a partnership between Lafarge and the RSPB.

A long-term management agreement between the two organizations for heathland creation was celebrated at a handover event in March 2012. The agreement allows the RSPB to create wildlife habitat on new landforms following sand extraction by Lafarge.

This new 11-acre area will see the landscape extended into an important area for all kinds of wildlife, including a spider-eating wasp recently recorded for the first time ever in England.

Tim Deal, national mineral development manager for Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK, said: ‘For centuries, the area around Sandy formed an extensive landscape of open heathland, including a mixture of heather, grassland and bare ground. Our quarrying and subsequent restoration of land at Sandy Heath has enabled us, in close partnership with the RSPB, to ensure this lost heathland habitat is re-established, providing a home for a vast array of valuable plant and animal species.’

Speaking on behalf of the RSPB, Dr Darren Moorcroft, head of species & habitats, said: ‘The RSPB recognizes the vast potential that mineral sites represent for replacing fast-disappearing national priority habitats. Such sites, restored in the right way, can afford vital support for wildlife and offer superb natural environments for local communities to visit at their leisure.

‘Indeed, under the Nature After Minerals (NAM) programme, which the RSPB runs in partnership with Natural England, the appropriate and sustainable restoration of minerals sites for nature is lauded as one of the surest ways to enhance biodiversity on a truly landscape scale across the country. The Lafarge site at Sandy Heath represents another wonderful opportunity for people and wildlife within this wider picture.’

By working together, Lafarge and the RSPB aim to provide public access to the Sandy Heath site, which is adjacent to the national headquarters of the charity and its flagship nature reserve, The Lodge. Walks organized by RSPB guides already take in areas of the quarry and a perimeter path allows people to enjoy the restored habitat and find out more about the valuable link between quarrying and conservation.