Trust says ‘sign of life’ seen at Dunwich heathland fire

The National Trust site contains heathland, wetland and woodland, and is home to species such as the Dartford warbler, nightjar, woodlark, antlion and adders.

The trust said in 2024, 25 pairs of Dartford warblers were recorded, with that number increasing to 29 in 2025. The bird is an amber list species in the UK, meaning it is scarce and of conservation concern.

“Dunwich is a really much-loved place and is incredibly important for wildlife, as these lowland heathlands are really not very common at all, so you get some very specialist plants, animals and insects,” Beer added.

He said the trust was looking at how to better “manage” the land in case a similar incident happened.

Beer said: “Although we cannot speculate about the cause of this fire, I can’t help but feel it is our fault as we have made the climate warmer, that is what human beings have done, and scientists did warn… so it is kind of our fault.”