£13m scheme boosts rare wildlife but experts warn ‘time running out' for nature
The Species Recovery Programme's capital grants scheme, which ran from August 2023 to March 2025, saw Government nature agency Natural England invest in targeted conservation efforts to help rare wildlife such as water voles, oystercatchers and lady's slipper orchids.
Natural England said the scheme supported the recovery of more than 150 species, many of which were on the brink of national extinction, through creating habitat, captive breeding and translocating wildlife to help it expand into new areas, and research.
The scheme has scored successes including the first wild-hatched red-billed chough chick fledging in Kent for more than 200 years, the reintroduction of black grouse to the North Yorkshire Moors and the return of the large marsh grasshopper to the Norfolk Broads after 85 years, Natural England said.
Tunnels have been installed under a road in Berkshire to allow adders to cross, disused buildings have been made ideal for bat breeding in Sussex and the first example of lady's slipper orchids naturally propagating in the wild has been recorded in Yorkshire.
The scheme invested in 63 different projects from the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall to Cumbria and Northumberland, working with 78 organisations to create or enhance 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres) of wildlife-rich habitat.
That includes 143 'leaky dams' to support Atlantic salmon, white-clawed crayfish and freshwater pearl mussels, at the same time as reducing flood risk and improving water quality.
And more than 15,000 individual animals and plants were translocated to expand species' territories, as well as captive breeding more than 12,000 individuals including invertebrates, mammals and birds.
Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said the success of the programme showed nature could be restored, but warned there was a need for more projects, more volunteers and more money, particularly from the private sector.
And there needed to be action to improve the environment, such as reducing pollution.
He will tell an event on Wednesday to mark the success of the grant scheme held at Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire, where rare bitterns are staging a comeback: 'A rising number of nature recovery projects, both large and small, are making a huge difference up and down the country.
'The success of this programme is an example of how much we can do when we take a joined up, collaborative approach to restoring the natural world.
'We know we can turn round species decline and improve ecosystems with the right targeted actions, the drive and the funding.
'But time is running out fast – turning round nature's decline needs to be a collective endeavour, so this is not just the preserve of dedicated specialists.
'Nature recovery work needs more projects, more volunteers and more money to flow from all sources, particularly the private sector.
'It will also need to go hand in hand with improved environmental quality, including through reduced pollution.'
The Government is set to publish a revised environmental improvement plan in the autumn to deliver legally binding green targets, after the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog said the previous government was largely off-track to meet the goals.
Mr Juniper said the publication would be a 'key moment', warning there needed to be increased ambition on species recovery, in particular what could be done on some of the wildlife England has lost.
'In the coming years, habitat management and creation alongside species reintroductions could be a real game changer for the health of ecosystems and help us achieve the country's legally binding targets,' he said.
Natural England is also publishing a threatened species recovery actions guide detailing how to support more than 1,000 of England's most threatened species, from the small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly, corncrake and natterjack toad to tiny lichens.
Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition of conservation groups, said: 'Today's results prove species conservation works – but it's still run on a shoestring, with short-term pots of money far from enough to halt nature's decline.
'Government must boost public funding and mandate private investment to multiply this impact tenfold.
'The new environmental improvement plan should also lock in a long-term pipeline of funding for species and the habitats they rely on, combining public and private finance to turn one-off wins into lasting recovery.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
Cheapest ways to get a school uniform – from FREE kit to 50% off at outlet shops
THE school holidays are well underway and it's time to tick shopping for uniform off the to-do list. There's only a few weeks left until kids return to their classrooms in shiny new shoes, crisp white tops and oversized jumpers. 1 Parents fork out an average of £422 a year on uniform for secondary school children and £287 for a primary school child, so it's important to make savings wherever you can. Read our handy guide to help kit your child out as cheap as possible this summer. SUPERMARKET BUNDLES If your school isn't strict on buying official uniform from specialist suppliers, then supermarkets are nearly always the b est place to buy new kit. Prices for a bundle including polo shirts, a coloured sweatshirt and skirt or trousers can cost as little as £5. But bear in mind that in some stores these are special buys and once they're gone, they're gone. Prices can vary but here's our pick of the best buys below. M&S is offering 20% off school uniform in stores only until stocks last. Whilst there is no end date to the sale, sizes do sell out, so go quick if there is something you are after. 2 x polo shirts - £3.60 Sweatshirt - £4.80 Skirt - £5.60 Trousers - £6.40 Pinafore - £6.40 Sainsbury's is selling school uniform items from £3. Click and collect is free on orders over £10. 2 x polo shirts - £3-£6 Skirt - £5-£7 2 x trousers - £7-£11 2 x sweatshirts - £7-£11 Matalan is selling items from £4 online and you can click and collect for just 99, or its free on orders over £19.99. 2 x polo shirts - £4-£7 2 x sweatshirts - £7-£11 2 x skirts - £7-£11 2 x trousers - £11-£17 George at Asda sells items all year round for £3, online and in stores. Click and collect is free if buying online. 2 x polo shirts - £3-£6 2 x sweatshirts - £5-£11 2 x skirts - £8-£14 2 x trousers - £8-£14 Pinafore - £6 Tesco has kept prices the same as 2024 - and you can get 25% off Clubcard prices. 3 x polo shirt - £4.50 2 x short sleeve shirts - £3.50 2 x sweatshirts - £4 2 x trousers - £7 2 x pinafores - £9 2 x skirts - £7 BUY SECONDHAND If you miss out on uniform sales, check out secondhand clothing sites such as Vinted and eBay. We had a quick search and found lots of new or barely worn clothes available to buy, including two unworn pinafores from Sainsbury's for £8.50 and a pack of three short-sleeved shirts from John Lewis, unworn and in the packaging, for just £5. Uniformly is an online marketplace specifically for school uniforms, where you can search for items to buy from other parents or the PTA at your child's school might hold second-hand clothing sales, so get in touch to find out if your child's has one. Some charity shops have been selling old uniform for as little as £1. FREE CLOTHING WEBSITES Sign up for a Freecycle account and you can search for uniform being given away for free or you can add in a "wanted" post. This is a great way of finding school specific blazers and jumpers in your local area. USE LOYALTY POINTS Tesco Clubcard is one of the best loyalty schemes which can help towards the cost of F&F school uniform, either online or in-store. Collect Clubcard points by shopping at Tesco then use the Clubcard app to convert the points into vouchers. Present the vouchers at checkout in store to get the money off, or you can apply them at checkout if shopping online. You earn one point for each £1 spent and each point is then worth 1p. Once you've earned 150 points, equivalent to spending £150, you receive a voucher worth £1.50. APPLY FOR A GRANT Local councils will supply grants of up to £200 to families who don't have the money for uniform. The grant will also cover other essentials such as PE kit and travel costs. Find the contact details for your local council at FIND A SWAP SHOP Pop-up swap shops are a brilliant way for families to manage back-to-school spending. Not only can you pick up items cheaper, but it saves waste. A 2020 report by The Children's Society found 1.4 uniforms are thrown away in the UK every year. You can find details of some already established swap shops at The website also offers guidance on how to set up your own. Level Trust runs an online uniform exchange with over 60 schools across the UK. TRY OUTLET STORES Prices at outlet stores are often more appealing than their high street counterparts. Clarks Outlet offers lots of shoes with 50% off online. Delivery's £4.95 if shopping online. M&S Outlet also has dozens of outlet stores which have 30% or more off the main M&S store price. BUY TO LAST Where possible, go for more natural fabrics, especially if using a tumble dryer. They can be dried at a slightly higher temperature and are more resistant to holes so it could mean buying less in the long run. Check the label and look after your child's uniform properly to help avoid extra costs. Wash whites separately, using bio detergent and sticking to low tumble-drying settings will help prevent damage and shrinking.
Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Telegraph
My husband died of prostate cancer just weeks ago. Testing could have saved him
Just weeks ago (July 22), my husband Nick died from prostate cancer. In his final months, the wonderfully funny and intelligent man that I shared much of my life with – including two huge dogs and two parrots – became a complete shell of his former self. He was entirely bed-bound and became deeply depressed, yet his main concern was how I would cope after he was gone. Knowing that there was nothing I could do to help him was devastating. If his symptoms had been taken more seriously by doctors at an earlier stage, I truly believe that he could still be here today. Although we married only in 2018, it feels like I had known Nick for most of my life. We got to know each other at university in Nottingham in 1973. He was a bright and budding young journalist in his final year and spent much of his time working as editor of the university newspaper, whilst I was an eager fresher. We met through my university boyfriend who was Nick's best friend, but mostly lost touch after he graduated and moved to London for an excellent job at a national newspaper. However, two years later I graduated myself and also moved to London to work as an editor in book publishing. Losing touch and reconnecting over the years Shortly after this, in early 1977, we began going out together. It just felt right – we were in our early twenties, living in a new city and both now single. A fantastic year followed, including a highly enjoyable holiday island-hopping in Greece. Yet within a few months, out of nowhere, Nick broke up with me. At the time, I simply did not understand why. Now, I know that was when he developed his first major bout of depression – an illness he struggled with throughout his life. He continued to advance rapidly as a talented journalist, whilst I worked for several major publishers and, some years later, my father's independent literary company. We would lose touch intermittently, but we always found our way back to one another as good friends. Some years after swiftly working his way up to the role of chief features sub-editor, Nick left the newspaper to set up a greyhound-racing publication – the Greyhound Star – with two journalist friends. After that, he and his colleagues formed a highly successful non-fiction publishing company. By this stage he had a novelist girlfriend and they were later married. By 2002, Nick had decided to take early retirement and moved to Cannes with his wife. However, within 10 years they were divorced. It was during his time in the south of France that Nick discovered the joys of trekking in the mountains above the Côte d'Azur and Liguria. Nick and I had stayed in touch over the years and – by 2013 – we could no longer deny our chemistry. We were both single once more and that summer he invited me to join him on a week's break in Berlin. We had an enjoyable time catching up with one another while exploring the city, including the remains of the Berlin Wall, historic Potsdam and the notorious Bridge of Spies. At that point, more than 30 years older and wiser than when we had first got together, we decided to give our relationship a second try. By that time, my father was old and frail. He decided to take a back seat in his company as chairman, so I became publishing director, whilst Nick moved back to London to support me as managing director. Whilst we both enjoyed writing and publishing and had a similar sense of humour, a major shared love was travelling. I introduced Nick to India in 2015, and we had a memorable holiday exploring Kerala and Tamil Nadu for a month. We returned to different parts of India in subsequent years and also had great trips exploring lesser-known parts of Europe, including Montenegro, with friends. Married life and moving to Suffolk Three years later, we were married. Nick was an old-fashioned soul and loved the idea of a ceremony and the exchanging of rings whilst I had always been sceptical about marriage, despite having had several long-term relationships. We settled on the perfect compromise of a small wedding in a register office with two of our closest friends as witnesses. Shortly before this, we had moved to a handsome Regency house in Saxmundham, Suffolk. We spent the following years looking after our two Tibetan Mastiffs, hosting parties for friends, attending classical music concerts at the Aldeburgh Festival, exploring East Anglia and beyond, heading off on adventure holidays and running my father's publishing company after his death in 2016. Nick was funny, bright and creative. He kept our marriage exciting with his often-inspired ideas for excursions and activities. One of these was when he booked tickets for a remarkable nine-hour play, Illuminatus!, at the National Theatre. In fact, we were to become friends with Ken Campbell, the much-admired and extraordinary director who had co-written the play. When he died prematurely in his mid-sixties we inherited his beloved African grey parrot, Doris. Life was never dull when Nick was around. We had no children, but we were very happy in our own company, with our pets and spending time with a large circle of friends. Nick's worrying symptoms begin Towards the end of 2020, Nick began to experience unusual pain and discomfort in his abdomen. He'd always put complete trust in doctors and immediately went to his GP who began to investigate. However, this was a frustratingly slow process. His pain continued throughout the start of 2021, and he developed crippling fatigue which often meant he would get up in the morning for a light breakfast before retiring to bed for the day. Even a good night's sleep left him waking up exhausted which, considering he'd always been energetic and highly sociable, was incredibly concerning. As we both still worked for the family business (subsequently sold on account of illness), we often drove from Saxmundham to the office in London. I began to notice that during those two-hour journeys, Nick would need to stop multiple times for an urgent pee. This went on for some months and, by late July, I was concerned that there was something seriously wrong. Yet he insisted that his GP had things under control. He was sent for tests to see if there was anything wrong with his digestive tract, including his stomach and bowel. I pointed out to him that he'd already had this comprehensively investigated by doctors in London a year or so earlier, but he continued to put his trust in his GP. By the following month, I had grown exasperated with what felt like a complete lack of urgency. Clearly, something was wrong and Nick was not getting any better. I doubted that his symptoms were a result of digestive problems and wondered whether his fatigue indicated type 2 diabetes, an underactive thyroid, or long Covid. I set out my concerns in a letter to his GP. This was never acknowledged, let alone answered, even though Nick knew that I had written to the surgery. Meanwhile watching my husband grow weaker and sicker, whilst feeling I couldn't do anything to help, was immensely frustrating and worrying. After eight months of waiting and chasing, Nick was finally sent to Ipswich Hospital for a scan to check his lower intestine. The doctors then discovered that his prostate was greatly enlarged, so he was finally called in for a physical prostate examination and a PSA blood test. In fact neither Nick nor I had heard of this test until then. The devastating diagnosis Two days later, we attended an appointment with a senior urologist at Ipswich Hospital who asked if we had received the 'headline news'. Until that moment, we hadn't expected to hear anything particularly worrying. However, that's when the consultant dropped the bombshell. 'You have advanced, inoperable stage four metastasised prostate cancer that will kill you,' he told Nick; 'it's terminal', adding that his PSA count was sky high at 922 rather than under four. The cancer had already spread to his bones and other tissues, we were told. We sat there in silence, completely lost for words. All I could think was that if there had been an ounce of urgency from his GP, if Nick had been given a PSA blood test earlier, perhaps his cancer would have been caught at a less advanced stage. Perhaps he'd have more of a chance of fighting it. I was shocked and angry – it felt deeply unfair. Over the next 19 months, Nick embarked on a course of Xtandi hormone tablets which brought his PSA level down to a low of 2.5. Because of this, he felt cautiously optimistic for a while – despite his prostate oncologist telling him that 'it would be a big ask' for him to survive for another 10 years. Even that proved to be over-optimistic. When his PSA levels began to rise again in July 2023 his hormone treatment was stopped. That Christmas, he embarked on a postponed course of chemotherapy – a fairly low dose of docetaxel every three weeks. My once-active and lively husband became weaker and more frail as his course of chemotherapy progressed. His consultant stopped the course early as it seemed to have little beneficial effect. In February 2024 Nick fractured his hip and this caused him further stress and complications, as the specialists went back and forth discussing whether he was fit for surgery. Eventually, a hip operation was authorised to proceed – after which Nick was loaned a set of crutches that were too big for him, unbeknown to us, which didn't aid his recovery or post-operative pain. Meanwhile his fatigue had returned tenfold. In the following weeks, he struggled with constant hip and back pain which resulted in further reduced energy levels, meaning he often spent more than half the day in bed. He was convinced that metastasised cancer cells were rampaging around his pelvis and lower back and, despite our asking his specialist if there was anything else the medics could offer by way of treatment, there seemed to be no sense of urgency. Nick's final sliver of hope was destroyed, and we began to realise it wasn't a case of if but when he would die of cancer. Those awful final months In a final act of desperation we visited Dr Mark Linch, a private prostate specialist and an NHS consultant at London's University College Hospital, in July 2024. We wanted to know if there were any other NHS treatments that Nick could be offered, after his local oncologist told us over the phone that they were running out of options. Dr Linch suggested a range of treatments and trials. However, sadly, because of the cancer in his spine, Nick's walking became so poor by autumn 2024 that he was unable to participate in a potentially promising trial in London. By this point, he was really weak, almost entirely bed-bound and deeply depressed and anxious. In the earlier stages of his treatment he enjoyed keeping his brain active by reading novels and non-fiction and playing Scrabble against online competitors. However, towards the end, as his depression worsened, he gave up these hobbies, stopped checking his emails, and mostly wouldn't even answer his phone. On a good day, he'd try to sit up and eat something with me and we'd chat in our living-room where he was confined to a hospital bed. I tried to engage his interest by our watching the evening news together, viewing a drama series, listening to spoken-word radio or some of his favourite classical music. Sometimes it helped his mood; however, as he became weaker and more frail he lost interest in almost everything, including eating. Often I had to provide liquid meal replacements, and he was fast losing weight. Our struggles amplified in December last year, shortly before Christmas, when I found a lump in my left breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Nick became increasingly fixated on my illness and worried constantly how I would cope after he passed away. We brought carers in to assist him, and he was visited by cancer nurses, who told us that he probably had just months to live. Our conversations turned to my breast cancer treatment, the songs he wanted played at his funeral and his wishes for the future. The situation felt terribly surreal. After five rounds of chemotherapy and successful lumpectomy surgery at the end of May, I was given the all-clear which at least gave Nick some comfort. Then, on July 22, aged 72, rather sooner than expected, Nick passed away. The incredibly clever, kind and adventurous man I knew and loved was gone. It angers me to think that there were eight wasted months before Nick's symptoms were taken seriously and he was subsequently diagnosed. Eight months where his prostate cancer could have potentially been diagnosed and treated at a less advanced stage. His urinary problems should have surely been an immediate red flag. In the UK, too many men have faced the same treatment and fate as Nick, and this is entirely unacceptable. There is no question that we need a targeted prostate cancer screening campaign. Whilst I'm thankful for the company of our parrots – both dogs died unexpectedly earlier this year – everything feels strangely quiet at home. There's no classical music emanating from the library where Nick spent much time on his computer. He will never return home from a day on the golf course and talk me through his round in great detail. We'll never host another garden party together or spend summers trekking in the Alps or Himalayas. I feel Nick's loss acutely. I just hope that, in sharing our story, it means that another man's symptoms are taken more seriously and that he doesn't suffer the same tragic fate. As told to Ella Nunn
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Public warned to keep away from injured dolphin filmed with Dorset swimmers
The public has been warned to keep away from an injured dolphin that was filmed dancing and playing with swimmers off the coast of Dorset earlier this month. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO), a government-backed agency responsible for England's seas, said it was 'increasingly concerned about a lone dolphin spotted in Lyme Bay, Dorset, following multiple potential marine wildlife disturbance offences observed online and shared on social media'. The post showed an image of a bottlenose dolphin, who has been nicknamed Reggie, that appeared to have a gash on the right side of its torso beneath its dorsal fin, which it said was not part of a pod. The dolphin appeared in a viral clip in early August in the bay alongside Lynda MacDonald, her partner, her son and his girlfriend as they were out for a swim. The dolphin bobbed in and out of the water, playfully engaging them and receiving belly rubs. Though the interaction appeared jovial and harmless, the MMO has issued a strict warning that such encounters 'can harm dolphins leading to injury, death, or aggression', urging the public to keep its distance. The MMO said the public should 'never swim with, touch, feed, or approach dolphins. If a dolphin approaches you, calmly leave the area.' 'Human interaction can cause dolphins to lose their natural wariness, leading to injury or even death,' the agency added. 'Disturbed dolphins are also known to become aggressive toward people. 'Dolphins may seem friendly, but they are wild animals. The dolphin in Lyme Bay has already been injured by a suspected boat propeller,' the MMO said. 'Let's protect them by keeping our distance and please share this message to respect their space.' Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a charity dedicated to protecting wild dolphins and whales, says dolphins can be disturbed not only by jetskis and motorboats but any intrusive human interaction. When people encounter dolphins, the WDC advises keeping a safe distance, leaving after about 15 minutes, and ensuring no more than two boats are within 300 metres of a group of dolphins. According to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 28 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises have been recorded in UK waters – including four types of dolphin: bottlenose, common, Risso's and white-beaked. There are an estimated 700 bottlenose dolphins living off the UK's shores. They can be encountered fairly regularly off the British coast, potentially coming into contact with swimmers or people sailing, interactions that can cause the animals harm.
