In the past, the central plateau was covered by extensive areas of heathland.  These were mainly used for grazing, although on occasion they were ploughed and sown with crops such as rye and barley.  Once the soil fertility was exhausted, or the crop price fell, then these areas reverted to heathland.

Today this same area is largely under intensive arable agriculture, mostly based on cereals, sugar beet, potatoes, vegetables and oil seed rape. Large scale afforestation took place after World War One and the resulting 'Thetford Forest' is now that largest plantation forest in England.

Important areas of heathland still exist within nature reserves, with larger tracts surviving on private estates and on the land designated as a military training area.  It is from within the latter area, that many of the records of our scarcest species of plants and animals come. Within the Breckland region there are a number of shallow river valleys and the land bordering these is often used for grazing.