Weald heathlands are a unique habitat, occurring mainly on the sandstone ridges that characterize the High Weald AONB, yet the extensive tracts of heathland that once covered the area have gradually disappeared. Volunteers play a vital role in protecting these areas through scrub clearance, the removal of birch saplings and cutting of heather.
Nightjars are one of the species that benefit from heathland restoration work; they like areas with a good proportion of old mature heather, small gaps and a sparse scatter of trees as song or lookout posts