A new multi-million-pound grant scheme was launched today 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.
The new scheme is part of Natural England’s Species Recovery
Programme (SRP), which has helped improve the conservation status
of England’s priority and threatened species since the 1990s.
Previous notable successes have included:
-
A targeted recovery effort for bittern, involving the
restoration and creation of extensive reedbeds. Over a
20-year period, the bittern population has increased from 11
booming males to over 200 now, more than have occurred in
England for over 200 years.
-
The recovery of the fen raft spider. Known in only three
sites in the UK, recovery action began in 1991, first
tackling water levels and quality, and then on
reintroductions of the species at former sites using captive
breeding.
Natural England encourages applications from today (3 April 2023)
that focus on the recovery of England’s most at-risk species
across land, freshwaters and seas. Further details of the grant
scheme, including how to apply, can be found on the Natural
England blog.
Further information:
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Applications will be made through the Atamis platform.
Applicants must register to the Atamis platform before an
application can be made. For further information and
application see the Atamis landing page:
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Welcome
(force.com) The SRPCGS can be searched for using the
‘Find Opportunities’ page and searching using either the
title - Species Recovery Programme, or the code C5132
