It will be used to create solutions to address species decline in England, research and to invest in wildlife habitat restoration and creation.
A new multi-million pound grant scheme was launched today (Monday 3rd April) by Natural England to help safeguard rare and threatened species from extinction.
Species such as lady’s slipper orchid, water vole, natterjack toad, wartbiter cricket and curlew could benefit from a grant from the £18 million Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme.
The scheme will support projects over two years delivering targeted conservation action through the creation and improvement of specific wildlife habitats, conservation translocations - whereby native at-risk species are moved or released from one geographic area to another to boost populations - as well as supporting research and creating solutions to address species decline.
Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said: “England’s wildlife is subject to a range of pressures with many species seeing drastic decline. The fragmentation of habitats, historic losses of natural areas, pollution, the changing climate and the impact of invasive alien species have all played their part, to the point today where nearly 40 per cent of England’s wildlife species are in decline and about 15 per cent in danger of becoming extinct here. We know that we can turn this around though. The return of large blue butterfly to flower-rich grasslands in the Cotswolds, red kites coming back to soar over the Chiltern Hills and beyond, the bittern making a comeback back in East Anglian wetlands and the white-tailed eagle to the South Coast all present practical cases in point as to what we can be done with careful planning and partnership working. The funding announced today will continue to build and support the excellent collaborative work that is happening as we work to put Nature on the road to recovery.”
Grants will be available for environmental charities, local authorities, protected landscapes, scientific institutions and others to improve the prospects, rebuild populations of vulnerable species and improve targeted habitats for nature across England.
The fund supports the Government’s commitment to halt nature’s decline by reducing the risk of species extinction by 2042, and supports the creation of a Nature Recovery Network of wildlife rich habitat that allows nature to thrive and people to benefit.
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Posted On: 03/04/2023