Recovery of more than 150 species thanks to money from scheme
Natural England, which advises the government on the natural environment, said many of the species that were helped were close to national extinction.The money went towards research, creating habitat, captive breeding, and moving wildlife to new areas.The scheme's successes include the first wild-hatched red-billed chough chick leaving its nest 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.Other completed projects include building tunnels under a road in Berkshire so adders can cross safely and the first example of rare lady's slipper orchids growing naturally in the wild in Yorkshire.As well as 143 'leaky dams' made with natural woody materials which lets water through, to help Atlantic salmon and white-clawed crayfish while reducing flood risk.The agency claims 15,000 individual animals and plants were translocated to expand species' territories.
Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said the programme showed nature could be restored, but added there was a need for more projects, more volunteers and more money.He also said there needed to be action to improve the environment, such as reducing pollution.The Government is due to publish an amended environmental improvement plan in the autumn with green targets which will be legally binding. Mr Juniper said the publication would be a "key moment", but more would need to be done."In the coming years, habitat management and creation alongside species reintroductions could be a real game changer for the health of ecosystems" he said.Natural England has also released a threatened species recovery actions guide showing 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.
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Wales Online
an hour ago
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Live Lotto results for Wednesday, August 13: National Lottery winning numbers from tonight's draw
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
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'It is not always necessary to rip out everything and start again,' says Ella Malt, who runs the gardening company Soil and Soul Norfolk. 'It is much more sustainable to work with what you have. You can make such a difference with a bit of cutting back, clearing up leaves, cutting an edge on a lawn. People notice edges: you could spend hours making a herbaceous border perfect but if the edge of that border isn't crisp, it will automatically look untidy.' 'Never underestimate how much a good tidy will help things,' agrees Glaswegian gardener Colin Stewart, who was at Great Dixter in East Sussex and now works with private clients. 'Even just sweeping up dead leaves from paths makes a huge difference. Sharpen up fuzzy edges. Be brutal: if you've got plants that are going over, maybe sweet peas which have bolted and look a bit sad, rather than hanging on to them, it is probably best to be ruthless and pull those things out and put in something new – there is still a lot of time before the frosts are coming. Deadheading flowers will help to replenish plants so they can flower again.' Leave anything that could become a seedhead, like Digitalis lutea or verbascums, Stewart says. Giving paving a good sweep and scrub can make an immediate impression. 'Even sweeping up dead leaves from paths makes a huge difference,' says Stewart. 'Neat paths always make any chaos feel instantly more intentional. If you have really cracked concrete or paving slabs, putting gravel down is a good idea. If you put a thick enough layer down, some plants will self sow into it. It is preferable to decking, which always rots and becomes a hideout for vermin.' And don't forget to sort out any sad-looking fencing, which can be painted if not replaced: 'I go into a lot of gardens that are really let down by boundaries,' says Stewart. 'Painting all the fences and walls around the space in the same colour, in a uniform way, makes an astonishing difference and elevates the whole garden.' Planting 'depends on whether you're in sun or shade', says Malt. 'If you've got a sunny garden that gets dry in summer, obviously Mediterranean plants will do well; things like Artemesia, Eryngium, myrtle and Phlomis. For dry shade, ferns give lovely texture.' 'It is important to think about where the light falls, not just in terms of plants, but also where you want to sit,' says Stewart. 'You probably want your seating area to be in the sunniest spot where the light falls in winter, spring and autumn. But in the summer, you probably want it to be in the shadiest part of the garden. 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North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Rare upland landscapes on English-Welsh border protected with expanded reserve
The new Stiperstones Landscape national nature reserve will conserve 1,562 hectares (3,900 acres) of heathland, ancient woodland, bogs and acidic grasslands linked by unique geology, safeguarding an area more than three times the size of the original Stiperstones reserve. Government agency Natural England said the new reserve combined existing protected sites with more than 1,100 hectares of additional land managed by partner organisations to link up habitats and protect rare plants and threatened wildlife such as the bilberry bumblebee. It will capture carbon, manage flood risk and improve water quality, and preserve ancient quartzite tors, where Wild Edric and his fairy queen Godda of Saxon legend are said to still gallop whenever England faces peril, Natural England said. The new reserve forms part of the 'King's Series of National Nature Reserves', created to mark Charles's lifelong support for the natural environment, with 25 new protected areas planned by 2028. Tony Juniper, chairman of Natural England, said: 'Enhancing and expanding our nature-rich landscapes is one of the most critical actions we must take to achieve our stretching environmental targets; this landmark moment for nature recovery is the next step on that path. 'Collaboration across this landscape will protect the upland heath and ancient woodland conserving rare species while also creating more opportunities for local people to experience the joy of nature first hand.' Forestry England, The Linley Estate, Shropshire County Council, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Middle Marches Community Land Trust and Natural England have joined forces to deliver the new reserve. Dr Richard Keymer, Middle Marches Community Land Trust chairman, said: 'Middle Marches Community Land Trust is delighted that the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve is to be extended and will include two areas of land that we own, Minsterley Meadows and Norbury Hill. 'Larger areas of land managed for nature will make them more resilient in the face of a changing climate,' he said.
