Natural England hails recovery of 150 struggling species
Targeted conservation projects led by Natural England as part of its £13m species recovery programme's capital grants scheme, have supported the recovery of 150 species, according to findings published on Wednesday.
As part of the work, conservationists relocated more than 15,000 individual animals and plants to expand species' territories, and bred more than 12,000 individual invertebrates, mammals and birds in captivity for release into the wild.
According to Natural England, rare species have returned to areas they have not been seen in for generations.
In Hastings, East Sussex, the rare hawksbeard mining bee was discovered for the first time in a century buzzing between blooms in newly created wildflower meadows. In Northamptonshire, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire, projects created new wetlands, ponds and bankside habitats for water voles, including 420 that were captive-bred and released to help increase population numbers.
In Kent, a chough chick hatched for the first time in 200 years thanks to an extensive captive breeding programme and supervised release. In total, projects have created or enhanced over 2,400 hectares (5,930 acres) of wildlife-rich habitat, Natural England said.
The agency is holding a celebration event on Wednesday at Brandon Marsh in Warwickshire, where the once rare Eurasian bittern is making a recovery with the help of a new habitat of deep pools and reedbeds created as part of the species recovery programme.
In a keynote speech hailing the success of the programme, Natural England's chair, Tony Juniper, will say the successes show what is possible with a 'joined up, collaborative approach' to conservation. 'We know we can turn round species decline and improve ecosystems with the right targeted actions, the drive and the funding,' he is expected to say.
'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.'
Centuries of industrialisation and intensive agricultural practices have left the UK one of the world's most nature-depleted countries, with thousands of once endemic species no longer to be found, and thousands more on the brink of extinction.
Similar processes now accelerating around the globe have led to ecologists warning the world is on the brink of ecosystem collapse, with urgent action needed to reverse course.
Sign up to Down to Earth
The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential
after newsletter promotion
To support this crucial work in the UK, Natural England is publishing a threatened species recovery actions guide, which will address the needs of more than 1,000 of England's most threatened species. Natural England plans to extend the species recovery programme for up to four years to act on its recommendations.
The agency is calling for mass participation from the public. Already, more than 80,000 people have taken part in 465 educational events and activities, and volunteers contributed nearly 100,000 hours of conservation work worth over £1m.
'The publication of the government's revised environmental improvement plan in the autumn will be a key moment,' Juniper will say.
'We will need to see increased ambition on species recovery, particularly looking at what can be done on some of our lost species. In the coming years, habitat management and creation alongside species reintroductions could be a real gamechanger for the health of ecosystems and help us achieve the country's legally binding targets.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours 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.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Two wallaby sightings reported in Suffolk
At first glance Steven Ellis thought the small creature in the distance was a deer, but he soon realised he was witnessing something far more unusual. Ellis was near the village of Ilketshall St Andrew in Suffolk when he took out his camera and took a photograph of the animal, which turned out to be a wallaby. 'We've got quite a few deer around, so I thought I must be mistaken,' he said. 'But then I thought it was a kangaroo. I don't think they're far off. I stood there thinking: 'Who do I ring to tell them?' But I thought no one was going to believe me.' Wallabies are native to Australia but small wild populations descended from escapees do exist in the UK and sightings have become more common, especially in the Isle of Man. Ellis's encounter on Tuesday was not to be the last. Suffolk police received a call of another sighting the next day about seven miles away. The animal hopped from the road into a field just outside of the village of Wissett. A spokesperson for Suffolk police said that despite the brief flurry of attention no further sightings had been confirmed, and no individual or organisation had come forward to claim ownership of the animal. Police are asking the public to report any sightings directly to them. Occasional escapes from private collections have also been documented in recent years. Wallabies are generally considered not dangerous to humans, but they can be unpredictable and should be treated with caution. Those hand-reared or accustomed to human presence can be gentle, but others can be easily startled especially if they feel threatened.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
York's 100-year-old D-Day veteran marks VJ Day
York's last surviving D-Day veteran has marked the 80th anniversary of VJ Day by visiting a restored railway locomotive named after the regiment he served Cooke, who fought in Europe during World War Two, recently celebrated his 100th birthday. He travelled to Barrow Hill near Chesterfield to lead a two-minute silence, and present a Day, or Victory over Japan Day, is commemorated on 15 August each year, and marks the date in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, ending the Cooke, who visited the Normandy beaches in May to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, said he would "continue to represent comrades who didn't come home". As part of a commemoration service Mr Cooke read the dedication written on the Kohima Epitaph: "When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today." The surrender of Japan on 15 August followed the end of the war in Europe three months estimated 71,000 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth died fighting in the war against Japan in the Far East, including upwards of 12,000 prisoners of war held in Japanese captivity. Speaking at Friday's commemoration service at the Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre, Mr Cooke remembered a previous VJ Day anniversary in London, where he had marched alongside men who had fought in the Far East."The tears in their eyes as they walked past, you wouldn't believe it. It really upset me," he said."They were the first in the parade, then we followed behind. The Mall was full of marching people, it was a spectacular occasion, I'll never forget it."Mr Cooke's trip to the heritage centre followed a week of celebrations at home in York to mark his 100th partygoer described him as someone who brings "a brightness to people's lives whatever he's talking about, he's just so happy to be around".Another said: "He is inordinately special and lives his life to the mantra that every day is an adventure."He looks forward to everything with great enthusiasm and rarely says no to any opportunity to do something of interest." The veteran's trip to Chesterfield included visiting a restored locomotive named after his former infantry regiment, the Green Howards, officially known as The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment).After viewing the engine, to his surprise, Mr Cooke was given the controls of a Class 37 diesel locomotive, which he drove along the full length of the centre's demonstration driver supervising him described him as "a natural" and said as far as he knew was "the first centenarian to drive a diesel locomotive". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
