[1][2] It is partly in the Sandlings Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

[3][4] It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

[5] These commercial coniferous plantations are designated an SSSI for their internationally important bird populations.

Surveys in the 1990s found 81 singing nightjars, around 2% of the number in Britain, and 71 woodlarks, approximately 5% of the British population.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust has a management role for parts of this protected area and has restored habitats to bring greater connectivity[8].