Rare species in Wiltshire to be boosted by new funding
The funding is coming from Natural England
£14.5 million is to be shared across 63 project in Wiltshire to boost rare and threatened species.
Through the Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme, Natural England hope the funding will aid the recovery of 150 species across the country.
Climate change and habitat disruption are just some of the challenges species are facing in England, with average species abundance having fallen by more than half in the last 25 years.
Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said 15 percent of species in Wiltshire at risk of extinction.
“But this can be turned around – we’ve seen populations of bitterns flourish, recovery of the fen raft spider and water voles successfully reintroduced to their native habitat. It’s crucial that we continue to take ambitious action to restore the natural world.
“These partnership projects demonstrate the power of collaborative action to reverse species decline and tackle the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.”
One of the projects to be benefiting from the funding is the Chalk Species Revival, which aims to support the recovery of five threatened species of insect that rely on wildflower rich chalk grasslands.
Marsh Fritillary, Large Blue, Adonis Blue and Duke of Burgundy butterflies and the Wart-biter Bush Cricket are among the insects in a sustained and serious decline.
The help these species, a mosaic of habitats will be created, affording them more space and opportunities to thrive.
Another project included the reintroduction of the New Forest Cicada, led by the Species Recovery Trust, which will be brought from Slovenia to a zoo in England, to be bred in captivity, before released back into the New Forest.
Wessex Rivers Trust’s Wild Figheldean restoration project and the Wyle Valley Juniper Project are also set to benefit.
Wild Figheldean is a chalk stream restoration project on the Hampshire Avon in Amesbury, which possesses a genetically unique salmon which is currently classed as ‘at risk’, due to historic dredging and straightening.
The project aims to restore 1km of degraded chalk stream habitat into prime salmon spawning grounds, which will benefit other chalk stream plants and animals.
Plantlife’s Wyle Valley Juniper Project is aiming to halt the decline of the Juniper, one of three native conifers to the UK. Their project will create bare ground conditions which allow for juniper to germinate and establish themselves in South Wiltshire.