National Trust projects to receive £1.9m as government expands wildlife recovery funding
Four National Trust conservation projects are set to receive almost £1.9 million as part of the largest government investment yet in recovering England’s threatened wildlife. The funding also reflects the wider push to improve biodiversity nationally, complementing projects already underway in London to restore habitats and reconnect people with nature.
It forms part of the government’s Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife initiative, announced by Natural England, which will distribute £60 million through its Species Recovery Programme to support 130 conservation projects across England. In total, 364 threatened species are expected to benefit from the programme.
The National Trust said the investment will help protect species under pressure at its sites, including Arctic alpine plants such as mountain eyebright and Borrowdale hawkweed, Atlantic salmon, and the diamond backed spider.
The wider programme comes against a backdrop of long-term biodiversity decline. According to the figures released alongside the announcement, wildlife populations have fallen by around a third since 1970, while one in six species in Great Britain is now considered at risk of extinction.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the funding demonstrates the government’s commitment to reversing those trends by supporting habitat restoration and species recovery projects across the country.
Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said previous conservation programmes had shown that species once considered close to disappearing could recover through scientific research and long-term partnerships. He pointed to examples including the red kite, lady’s slipper orchid, pool frog, beaver, and large blue butterfly as evidence that targeted action can deliver lasting results.
The National Trust said the funding would strengthen work already under way to restore vulnerable habitats and improve conditions for species facing increasing environmental pressures.
Ben McCarthy, the charity’s Head of Nature Restoration, said the investment would help conservation teams support wildlife ranging from rare mountain plants growing in exposed upland environments to Atlantic salmon returning upstream to spawn.
The government said the Species Recovery Programme has contributed to protecting more than 1,000 species during the past three decades and has helped prevent the national extinction of at least 35 species.
Alongside the £60 million programme, Defra confirmed it will invest a further £30 million in species recovery across the national forest estate over the next three years, bringing the total commitment to £90 million. The announcement accompanies wider nature initiatives, including the creation of three new national forests and approval for the first wild beaver releases in England since the species disappeared around 400 years ago.
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