The landscape of Norfolk is one of the most diverse in the British isles. While the sandy heaths of Breckland record some of the greatest daily extremes of temperature, the watery landscapes of the Broads and Fens provide habitats for some of our rarest species, such as swallowtail butterflies and bitterns, as well as rich feeding grounds for visiting waders. The salt marshes and pebble spits of the north Norfolk coast are home to some of the largest tern colonies in Britain, while the Halvergate marshes are the largest area of grazed grassland, outside Somerset, in England. The county as a whole, once the most prosperous and populous in the country, is rich in archaeology and landscapes dating back to prehistoric times, with the earliest evidence for man outside Africa recently discovered on the east-facing beach at Happisburgh. Across the county are areas of woodland, heath, historic parklands and commons. As a result of a growing appreciation of this diverse, but fragile, heritage the county now contains ten National Nature Reserves, four Special Protection Areas for birds, seven interna-tionally important ‘Ramsar’ wetlands, over 430 Scheduled Ancient Monuments and 11,000 listed buildings.

The history of the conservation movement since its early beginnings in the nineteenth century is not just a story of the preservation of natural landscapes, significant historical buildings and archaeological sites; it is more about changing social attitudes and priorities. While nineteenth-century landlords were primarily concerned with the conservation of their game birds to the exclusion of others, later generations have emphasised access to natural and cultural sites for the enjoyment of all. This in itself can lead to conflict between those who wish to preserve areas for research purposes, from which the general public are excluded, and those who advocate open access. Between these two extremes are many gradations, often in the past distinguished by class divisions. in the late nineteenth century, for instance, these could be characterised as ‘the battue of the plutocrats, the botanizing and ramblings of the middle class, often armed with cameras, and the hiking of the working class’.