Over 350 threatened species to benefit from record investment - Natural England
130 projects encompassing 364 threatened species to receive funding of £60 million from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme
More than 350 threatened species, including some only found in this country, will benefit from the largest ever investment in recovering England’s wildlife, Natural England announced today (Wednesday 8 July), as part of the government’s “Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife” initiative to turn the tide for England’s wildlife.
The swallowtail butterfly and white-clawed crayfish are just two of the species set to benefit from the £60 million largest ever investment in recovering the country’s threatened plants, animals and fungi, supporting 130 projects across England.
Since 1970, wildlife populations have fallen by a third, with one in six species at risk of extinction in Great Britain including some of our most treasured wildlife. Projects supported through the programme will target 364 threatened species, from birds to beetles, moths to mammals, spiders to snails and sharks to seahorses, to bring us closer to our goal of a wilder, healthier country for generations to come.
Farmed landscapes have seen some of the sharpest declines in wildlife, yet healthy ecosystems are the foundation of productive, resilient agriculture. A number of projects will support farmers and land managers to restore nature alongside food production, for example, projects that support the recovery of pollinator species and their habitats will, in turn, support crop yields.
Among the species set to benefit are the ghost orchid – so scarce it went unrecorded for 23 years before its rediscovery in 2009 – which will be located using detection dogs and environmental DNA technology; the northern dune tiger beetle, one of England’s fastest declining insects; and the white-clawed crayfish, the UK’s only native crayfish, threatened by invasive species. Species like the field gentian, one of England’s rarest plants, will also benefit.