A £25m initiative aimed at improving habitats critical for England’s varied wildlife has been unveiled. The government funding will be utilised to enhance over 3,300 hectares vital for various species, including water voles, butterflies, dragonflies, and otters. The funding has been sourced from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will go towards 20 conservation projects and help the government meet its target of protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030.
The Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust will receive funding for the creation of 49 hectares of wetland around the chalk river habitats in Hertfordshire and Middlesex. The conservation body revealed that the area is home to 10% of the world’s globally-rare chalk rivers. The funding is intended to support species such as the water vole, European eel, wild brown trout, and otter.
The Groundwork Greater Manchester charity will utilise its £1.1m award to create nature corridors across the Medlock Valley and restore riverbank, grassland, wetland, and woodland habitats. The initiative is expected to help species including the willow tit, waxcaps, and rare great-crested newts. Despite the government claiming that 8.5% of land has been protected in England so far, some conservation agencies disagree, asserting that less than 37% of habitats are in good enough condition to support nature.
The government funding has been welcomed by various conservation groups, but some warned that £25m was just a portion of the billions that are required each year to prevent nature’s decline by 2030. Despite this, Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, called the initiative “a key plank in achieving our legally binding targets to halt species loss” and would enable “local authorities, landowners, farmers, and our protected landscapes organisations to restore nature at scale.
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