Rare Species in England To Receive £14.5M Funding Boost; Recovery Programs Aim at Reversing the Risks of Extinction

England is home to various species that indicate thriving, healthy, and resilient ecosystems. However, many of the native species in England are threatened and in serious decline.

For more than 30 years, Natural England (NE) has been leading the way towards species recovery through its flagship Species Recovery Programme (SRP). It focuses on conservation action, which aims to reverse the decline in the population of threatened native species.

Decline of Native Species in England

England is home to approximately 55,500 species of animals, plants, and fungi, including five groups of species of outstanding importance internationally. The country also has at least 40 species endemic to England and 54 species considered threatened internationally.

Previous studies have documented the loss of 492 species from England, most of which have been lost since 1800. Since the 1970s, 41% of species in the country have declined. It was also found that the country has lost 24% of butterflies, 22% of amphibians, 15% of dolphins and whales, 14% of stoneworts, 12% of terrestrial mammals, and 12% of stoneflies.

Significant loss of species has also been documented on a regional and local scale, resulting in a number of England's remaining species under threat. In 2008, 943 species were identified as conservation action priorities under the England Biodiversity Strategy and UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

Launching of New Recovery Program

In April 2023, Natural England launched a new Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme. This scheme awards financial support of up to half a million pounds to nature projects nationwide that aim to revive endangered species.

More than 100 applications were received for projects that target over 200 species. On September 14, the non-departmental public body announced the recipients of grant awards. A total of 63 projects are being awarded grants worth £14.5m.

Between the present and March 2025, 74 various organizations across England will work to help restore the populations of rare species such as the Northern lapwing, Grizzled skipper, Pasqueflower, Eurasian curlew, Atlantic salmon, Sand lizard, Greater Mouse-eared bat, and European eel. The money received by each project will be used for breeding programs and in improving species habitats.

The Species Recovery Programme Grant targets to benefit species that have very specialist life cycle demands. It will also fund all the key elements required to restore the populations of the country's rarest species.

Such projects are expected to contribute to the government's goals to reduce species extinction risk by 2042. It can also aid in increasing species abundance by 2030, helping to put in place a Nature Recovery Network across the country where wildlife species can recover, move freely, and thrive.

One of the projects to be awarded funding is National Trust's Wiltshire Chalk Partnership, which aims to restore 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of flower-rich grassland that serves as a habitat for insects. Meanwhile, the Claw for Thought Project of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will use the funding to establish a new rearing facility for white-clawed crayfish.