Latest news with #SpeciesRecoveryTrust
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Conservation efforts spark revival of rare flower on the Island
A rare plant is making a strong comeback thanks to focused conservation efforts. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is celebrating the return of field cow-wheat (Melampyrum arvense) at St Lawrence Field Nature Reserve on the Isle of Wight. The plant, once widespread in southern England, has declined sharply due to habitat loss and changes in farming practices. Now found at just four UK sites, St Lawrence Field is the only location where the species is believed to have survived without reintroduction. Field cow-wheat (Image: Dominic Price) Emma Hunt, senior reserves officer for Wilder Wight and Solent at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "The display of flowers this year was absolutely incredible. "It's so great to see the field cow-wheat in such abundance here. "Field cow-wheat thriving at this scale is hugely encouraging. "This tiny but mighty reserve is proving how even the smallest spaces can have big impacts for biodiversity when managed sensitively." READ MORE: Wildlife trust backs campaign to ban bottom trawling near the Island The population survey, carried out by the trust in partnership with the Species Recovery Trust, highlights the success of targeted habitat management. This has included rotational cutting and careful scrub control to maintain the open, species-rich grassland the plant needs. Dominic Price, director of the Species Recovery Trust, said: "Field cow-wheat is not only a spectacular plant but is also now one of our rarest wild blooms, with this site now considered to be the only surviving native site. "So, to see it growing this well, especially in a year where many sites have been stricken by drought and high temperatures, is just amazing." St Lawrence Field Nature Reserve was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1993 to protect its population of the plant. Verity Foster, reserve officer (Isle of Wight), said: "This species is clinging on at just a handful of sites in the UK, and to witness such a strong recovery here fills me with hope." The trust encourages the public to support conservation efforts and explore nearby nature reserves.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Singing Cicadas return to the UK after 30 years!
Known for its loud, musical singing sounds, this creature hasn't been spotted in the UK for 30 years... but what is it? It is a special kind of bug, called the New Forest cicada. These insects haven't been found since the 1990's in the UK, but now scientists have brought them week eleven New Forest cicadas were released into a specially-created habitat. What is a cicada? Cicadas are amazing, big bugs known for their loud humming sounds and see-through wings and do not bite or sting. Male cicadas produce their buzzing song to attract females and when there a lots in one place these sounds turn into an overpowering humming sound. The cicadas being rehomed in the UK live underground for at least four years before emerging as adults. Some types of cicada can live up to 17 years - though most of this time will be underground!Cicadas are a valuable food for birds and other predators. How are conservationists bringing cicadas back? Scientists transported 11 female cicadas from France over to the team then placed them in a safe, special home in Hampshire, near the New Forest where UK cicadas once used to are hoping these new cicadas will lay eggs so their babies can grow underground. But they won't know if it worked until 2029!In the meantime, the team say it hopes to bring in more cicadas from France to continue the Carne, Species Recovery Trust project officer, said: "This has been a really challenging project so it's amazing to see New Forest cicadas in England after all this time."If all goes well, the cicadas might be released into secret locations in the New Forest again, and one day we might hear them sing in the wild once more.
RTÉ News
13-06-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
'Back from the dead' - musical cicadas reintroduced to UK
Cicadas, whose musical courtship calls once echoed around an ancient forest in southern England, have been reintroduced by conservationists. Conservationists from the Species Recovery Trust (SRT) believe new forest cicadas went extinct in the 1990s due to changes in how land was managed. They have now released 11 female cicadas from France, some of which are believed to be pregnant, into a specially created habitat just outside the woods they once populated. Charlotte Carne, Project Officer at Species Recovery Trust, said: "This has been a really challenging project so it's amazing to see new forest cicadas in England after all this time." She added that it is like "bringing them back from the dead". Having returned from a collection trip to Slovenia empty-handed, the trust called on a prominent French entomologist and cicada expert to help source some insects. The 11 insects, which are black with golden rings and transparent wings, were caught in northern France and shipped to the UK this week. Conservationists will not know until 2029 whether this phase of the project has been successful. This depends on whether they have reproduced, as their offspring spend at least four years underground as nymphs. If they survive, conservationists will release the adults in the new forest. Dominic Price, Species Recovery Trust Director, said he believes the new forest cicada probably went extinct because of changes to the way land was managed. However, he said the trust has worked with Forestry England to put the right kind of management in place. "What's more, we think that our warming climate could also favour their survival, so we are very hopeful that one day soon, cicadas will sing in the New Forest again," Mr Price added.
eNCA
13-06-2025
- Science
- eNCA
Musical cicadas brought back to UK from France
Cicadas, whose musical courtship calls once echoed around an ancient forest in southern England, have been reintroduced from France by conservationists hoping to re-establish the insect's UK population. Conservationists from the Species Recovery Trust believe New Forest cicadas went extinct in the 1990s, due to changes in the way land was managed. They have now released 11 female cicadas, some of which are believed to be pregnant, into a specially created habitat just outside the woods they once populated. "This has been a really challenging project so it's amazing to see New Forest cicadas in England after all this time," said Charlotte Carne, project officer at Species Recovery Trust. "It's like bringing them back from the dead," she said. Having returned from a collection trip to Slovenia empty-handed, the trust called on a prominent French entomologist and cicada expert to help source some insects. The 11 insects, which are black with golden rings and transparent wings, were caught in northern France and shipped to the UK on Wednesday. Conservationists will not know until 2029 whether this phase of the project has been successful, and whether the cicadas have reproduced, as their offspring spend at least four years underground as nymphs. If they survive, conservationists will release the adults in the New Forest. "We believe the New Forest cicada probably went extinct because of changes to the way land was managed but we have worked with Forestry England to put the right kind of management in place," said Dominic Price, Species Recovery Trust director.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Musical cicadas brought back to UK from France
Cicadas, whose musical courtship calls once echoed around an ancient forest in southern England, have been reintroduced from France by conservationists hoping to re-establish the insect's UK population. Conservationists from the Species Recovery Trust believe New Forest cicadas went extinct in the 1990s, due to changes in the way land was managed. They have now released 11 female cicadas, some of which are believed to be pregnant, into a specially created habitat just outside the woods they once populated. "This has been a really challenging project so it's amazing to see New Forest cicadas in England after all this time," said Charlotte Carne, project officer at Species Recovery Trust. "It's like bringing them back from the dead," she said. Having returned from a collection trip to Slovenia empty-handed, the trust called on a prominent French entomologist and cicada expert to help source some insects. The 11 insects, which are black with golden rings and transparent wings, were caught in northern France and shipped to the UK on Wednesday. Conservationists will not know until 2029 whether this phase of the project has been successful, and whether the cicadas have reproduced, as their offspring spend at least four years underground as nymphs. If they survive, conservationists will release the adults in the New Forest. "We believe the New Forest cicada probably went extinct because of changes to the way land was managed but we have worked with Forestry England to put the right kind of management in place," said Dominic Price, Species Recovery Trust director. "What's more, we think that our warming climate could also favour their survival, so we are very hopeful that one day soon, cicadas will sing in the New Forest again," Price said. jwp/jkb/djt
