Natural England

06 October 2008

Natural England announces a £5.5 million boost for England’s threatened biodiversity.

Sharks, butterflies, toads, wetlands and woodlands are among the habitats and species due to benefit from major funding today (Monday 6 October) as Natural England announces the key conservation projects to receive £5.5m under its Countdown 2010 biodiversity action fund which aims to help some of England’s most threatened biodiversity.

Natural England's Chair, Sir Martin Doughty, said: "We want to improve the fortunes of some our most precious species and habitats and today’s funding will help our conservation partners to meet these challenges. Cirl buntings, cornflowers, crayfish, orchards and a wide range of other habitats and species including our marine environment will benefit from this extra funding.”

Natural England’s Chief Executive, Dr Helen Phillips, said: “Halting biodiversity loss takes time. We’ve already seen major biodiversity successes for many species such as bitterns, ladybird spiders and many important habitats are being steadily improved. Clean water, flood management and carbon storage are all delivered by a healthy natural environment and we all benefit from these improvements.”

Recipients of the grants include:

• Wetlands get a boost in Devon, Hull, West Cornwall and Cumbria with over £700,000 of extra funding and help through the local Wildlife Trust teams;
• Cirl buntings and twite, bitterns and their reedbed habitat receive over £600,000 worth of funding and help through RSPB run projects across the country;
• The National Trust receives over £267,000 to help conserve and restore traditional orchards;
• To aid the recovery of the dormouse, the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species receive £180,000 to help reconnect hedgerows;
• The Shark Trust receives £144,000 worth of funding to help protect sharks and their habitat;
• The sea grass beds and fragile sponges around the Isles of Scilly receive over £100,000. The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust will receive the extra funding for its marine biodiversity project;
• Natterjack toads will benefit from over £92,000 through a conservation project in Cumbria run by the Herpetological Conservation Trust.

The full list of recipients, which includes species and habitats across England, is outlined below:

Bristol Zoo

- Conservation of White-clawed crayfish in the South West

Butterfly Conservation

- Conserving Fritillary Butterflies across Nine Priority Landscapes

Eden Rivers Trust

- Restoring Eden Project

Froglife

- Ponds in the Landscape

FWAG

- Be WILD - Berkshire Woodland Improvements (Pang, Kennet and Lambourn Valleys)

- Dorset Arable Project

The Greensand Trust

- Heathlands of the Greensand Ridge

Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire

- Wild about Nature

Herpetological Conservation Trust

- Natterjack Conservation in Cumbria

The National Trust

- Conserving and Restoring Traditional Orchards in England

Peoples Trust for Endangered Species

- Reconnecting hedgerows for dormice

Plantlife International

- The Future of Priority Species in Important Arable Plant Areas

- Saving England’s Lowland Juniper

RSPB

- Bringing Reedbeds to Life

- England Twite Species Recovery Project

- Cirl Bunting Re-introduction Project

- Priority Farmland Bird Recovery Project

Salmon and Trout Association Charity

- Riverfly Partnership - River HAPs and Riverfly SAPs

The Shark Trust

- British Sharks: building knowledge for a sustainable future

Vincent Wildlife Trust

- Prospects for Pine Martens

Wildlife Trusts

- Wetlands Wildlife sites project – Cumbria Wildlife Trust

- Getting to Grips with Grasslands – Beds, Cambs, Northants & Peterborough Wildlife Trust

- West Cornwall Wetland Networks – Cornwall Wildlife Trust

- Working Wetlands in Devon’s Culm Grasslands – Devon Wildlife Trust

- The Living Don – Sheffield Wildlife Trust

- Reconnecting Suffolk’s Farmland – Suffolk Wildlife Trust

- Isles of Scilly Marine Biodiversity Project – Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust

- Kent’s Chalk Living Landscape – Kent Wildlife Trust

- River Hull Wetlands: After the Floods – Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

- Grazing for Norfolk’s Wildlife – Norfolk Wildlife Trust

- Tees Valley Pondscape – Tees Valley Wildlife Trust

- Lowland Calcareous Grassland in Lincolnshire and Rutland – Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

- Restoring Avon’s Wildflower-rich Grasslands – Avon Wildlife Trust

- Delivering BAP for Shining Rams Horn Snail – Kent Wildlife Trust

- Solent Seal Tagging Project – Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

The Wild Trout Trust

- Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project

Woodland Trust

- Brede High Woods

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

- Hay Time

Countdown 2010 (2008 to 2011) – select project summaries

Herpetological Conservation Trust – Natterjack conservation in Cumbria
Natterjack toads have suffered massive declines and just 47 populations now remain in England, 23 of which occur (in increasingly isolated pockets) along the coast of Cumbria. The project will concentrate on land where there is currently no funding. Extensive areas of potential habitat exist between most surviving populations and, with appropriate management, could again support substantial populations of natterjacks. The natterjack toad, is the project flagship species but a wide range of other fauna and flora will also benefit.
For further information contact: John Buckley on 01202 391319

Peoples Trust for Endangered Species – Reconnecting hedgerows for dormice
The current fragmented state of Britain’s hedgerows has left dormice in England in isolated populations and there has been a 64% decline in dormouse numbers in hedgerows since the late 1970s. Historically, the hazel dormouse was frequently found in hedgerows. By mapping the presence and quality of hedgerows around known dormice areas, by providing the basis for management plans and by engaging in practical work to restore hedgerows, this project will seek to connect isolated populations and provide new habitat. It is intended that this focused work will benefit many other BAP species including the hedgehog, harvest mouse, and bird and insect species that depend on hedgerows.
For further information contact: Jill Nelson on 020 7498 4533

The Shark Trust – British Sharks, building knowledge for a sustainable future
The project aims to arrest, and where possible reverse, the decline in elasmobranch (sharks and rays) populations in UK waters. To achieve this the Trust will; ensure data management protocols are maintained and data sharing is enabled, contribute to the delivery of sustainable management objectives at a UK and European level through UK and EU policy, and raise public and political awareness.
For further information contact: Ali Hood on 01752 672020

RSPB – England twite species recovery project
The twite, formerly breeding in 12 English counties, is now restricted to just four in the South Pennines. The 2008 population will be less than 100 pairs at just 15 colonies. Requiring mature bracken or heather in which to nest, colonies are located on moorland, often in cloughs. Diet consists entirely of seeds, with most feeding on species rich, upland hay meadows and grassland adjacent to the moor. Twite largely winter on south and east coast saltmarsh. In the short term, the project aims to halt the decline and maintain current population/range. In the medium term, the project seeks to increase populations at existing colonies and for colonies to be established at new and/or former sites.
For further information contact: Roy Taylor on 01484 861148

RSPB – Cirl bunting reintroduction project
The project will take and rear birds from south Devon and release a minimum of 60 in 08/09 and 09/10 at the release site in south Cornwall. Further suitable habitat within the release area will be secured through targeted advisory work, promoting take-up of Environmental Stewardship agreements to deliver suitable land management for cirl buntings. This is the latest stage in a drive to re-establish the cirl bunting as a sustainable breeding bird in the UK.
For further information contact: Cath Jeffs on 01392 432691

The National Trust – Conserving and restoring traditional orchards in England
The project aim is to contribute towards the targets of the UK Habitat Action Plan (HAP) for Traditional Orchards through restoration and creation. Activities will include identifying existing work and developing a central point of information for all Traditional Orchard work. The project will identify Traditional Orchards within England in urgent need of restoration. Although the National Trust will be leading on all activities, this project could not take place without the expertise and involvement of our partners.
For further information contact: Lucy Cordrey on 01793 817744

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – River Hull wetlands
The River Hull supports native brown trout, otter and water vole populations. Priority habitats include lowland rich fen, lowland grassland and wet woodland. Project staff will deliver access and habitat enhancement works on key sites and throughout the Hull valley through direct partnership with landowners, agencies and communities. Participation programmes will raise awareness of important BAP species and habitats and transform the perception of the river heritage by highlighting the benefits to community and economy.
For further information contact: Terry Smithson on 01904 659570

Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust – Marine biodiversity project
The Isles of Scilly support internationally significant marine biodiversity. The over-arching aim of the project is to further the conservation of marine Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) habitats and species through developing the evidence base and working in partnership to engage local stakeholders in marine conservation. The Audit of the Biodiversity of the Isles of Scilly produced in March 1998, identifies 138 marine BAP priority species and 4 sub-tidal marine BAP habitats.
For further information contact: Zoe Julian on 01720 422153

Natural England’s Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund (BAF) supports projects carried out by Voluntary Conservation Organisations that directly contribute to the conservation of UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority habitats and species in England. All grants have been made for three years from 2008 to the end of March 2011.