Mayor announces new fund to help restore some of the capital’s most treasured natural sites and improve biodiversity
Plans unveiled for 40 “Keeping it Wild” traineeships to help young people who are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled or from areas of economic deprivation, to develop vital green skills
Mayor confirms the first 45 projects to be supported by his £6m investment in green spaces
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today (Monday 13 December) announced a new £600,000 Rewild London Fund, that will help restore London’s most precious wildlife sites and create more natural habitats for plants and animals to thrive.
There are 1,600 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs) in London, covering 20 per cent of the capital. These include the world-famous nature reserve Richmond Park, Sydenham Hill Wood and the downlands in Bromley and Croydon that inspired Charles Darwin’s discoveries. Currently only around half of these sites are being appropriately managed to conserve or enhance their special wildlife
The new Rewild London Fund will be delivered with expert advice from London Wildlife Trust and will support 20-30 of these sites to ensure that London’s special species thrive, from creating new homes for stag beetles to water voles in newly restored waterways and helping birds like swifts and house sparrows to flourish.
The Mayor has also announced a further £300K of funding for 40 ‘Keeping it Wild’ traineeships for young people aged 16-25. The traineeships, delivered with the London Wildlife Trust, will support young Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners, as well as young disabled Londoners and those from areas of economic deprivation, to develop vital green skills and help to remove barriers to entering the sector.
Sadiq also announced plans for a “Rewilding Roundtable” event that will explore opportunities for more ambitious, innovative projects to support nature in the capital. These plans will help make London a leader in urban rewilding, from restoring rivers to reintroducing species currently absent from London
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Posted On: 13/12/2021