£13m threatened species investment proves beneficial
The results of the £13m investment from the Species Recovery Programme’s Capital Grants Scheme have now been revealed to have benefitted threatened species.
The scheme ran from August 2023 to March 2025, which saw Natural England invest in targeted threatened species such as water vole, oystercatcher, lady’s slipper orchid, hazel dormouse and Atlantic salmon a chance to thrive.
Spanning across 63 projects and involving 78 partners, the transformed landscapes supported the recovery of 150 species which were on the brink of natural extinction.
More than 15,000 individual animals and plants were translocated to expand species territories.
Whilst the results are positive, Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England says that “time is running out fast,” adding:
“Nature recovery work needs more projects, more volunteers and more money to flow from all sources, particularly the private sector.”
Over 80,000 members of the public participated in 465 educational events and activities, and volunteers contributed nearly 100,000 hours of conservation work worth over £1 million.