On a rare sunny morning in soggy January, I joined SWT staff, a hardy group of seasoned volunteers and well-trained Labrador Roo on a frosty Brentmoor Heath. Our task for the day? Restoring strips of bare ground in the scrubby undergrowth for the Heath Tiger Beetle.

Somewhat naively, I assumed this would be achieved with mechanical assistance, so was rather surprised to find a 20-strong group of hardy individuals waiting by a Trust 4x4, armed with spades, mattocks, loppers and tree poppers. It transpired were going to use a far less destructive, but much more labour-intensive method to achieve our goal.

Also joining us for the day was Charlotte Carne, Programmes Manager from the Species Recovery Trust, who, as well as participating in the work, was on site to assess the area as a potential reintroduction site to give the existing small population of this fascinating and ferocious species a helping hand. With an expert on hand, I wanted to know why we were going to so much effort for the sake of a tiny insect.

Charlotte explained that the Heath Tiger Beetle is incredibly rare. Over half of the beetle’s populations are thought to have disappeared in the last 25 years and it is only found on just a handful of sites in southern Britain, preferring sandy heathland and open coniferous woodland like those found on Brentmoor Heath. We are lucky to have several sites with small populations in Surrey, but they are barely hanging on – indeed Charlotte suggested that the current population on Brentmoor is probably measurable not in the 1000s or 100s but in the tens of individuals.  A boost in numbers and genetic diversity is necessary, and species Recovery Trust is carrying out captive breeding to provide a healthy pool of specimens for possible release this year.

Charlotte reminded me that the area we were working in was the site of a successful reintroduction some 17 years previously. However recent surveys had shown an alarming decline in beetle numbers, with none recorded at all here in 2024. Looking closely, we could just about make out the faint linear outline of the original scrapes of various sizescreated at the time, slowly emerging as the volunteers worked to remove the vegetation which had recolonised the exposed earth.

So why does the Heath Tiger Beetle need areas of bare ground, a notion that seems somewhat at odds with the ethos of conservation? After all, rectangular patches of exposed earth don’t exactly shout ‘ideal habitat’.

Measuring 18mm, the Heath Tiger Beetle is a velvety brown insect with large eyes and huge mandibles. One of our fastest beetle species and a ferocious predator, it spends its days chasing down smaller invertebrate prey and relies on areas of warm, open, sandy ground for feeding and breeding. It will also fly readily, although never far – and this sedentary quality means populations don’t spread easily without some help. The equally aggressive larva is an ambush predator, living for two years in a vertical sandy burrow and snatching prey that passes by the entrance to its lair.

In the past, areas of bare ground would have been created by the action of humans and large herbivores on our heathlands. These man-made landscapes have existed for thousands of years, and the species found on them today have evolved to take advantage of practices such as turf-stripping and livestock grazing, activities which took place for millennia. It is for this reason that we are out on the heath today, replicating the results of actions carried out in times gone by, to preserve the wildlife which could not survive without them.

And so, after a hard day’s graft and several well-earned tea breaks (complete with homemade cakes), the scrapes were returned to their former glory - all thanks to a partnership between two committed conservation organisations and the efforts of a group of people who gave up their time to make a difference for nature. Unassuming patches of bare earth they may be, but their role in sustaining one of the UK’s rarest insects – not to mention a range of other basking species from lizards to butterflies - is more than impressive.