Natural England launched a new £18 million capital grant scheme, on 3 April 2023, to support species facing extinction such as lady’s slipper orchid, water vole, natterjack toad, wartbiter cricket and curlew. The fund supports the Government’s commitment to halt nature’s decline by reducing the risk of species extinction by 2042 and supports the creation of a Nature Recovery Network of wildlife rich habitat that allows nature to thrive and people to benefit.
The scheme will support projects over two years delivering targeted conservation action through the creation and improvement of specific wildlife habitats, conservation translocations - whereby native at-risk species are moved or released from one geographic area to another to boost populations - as well as supporting research and creating solutions to address species decline.
It will be used to create solutions to address species decline in England, research and to invest in wildlife habitat restoration and creation.
Applications to the scheme open for projects focused on priority and threatened species, delivering on the Government commitment to reduce species extinction risk by 2042.
Nearly 40% of England’s wildlife species are in decline and about 15% in danger of becoming extinct here.
Grants will be available for environmental charities, local authorities, protected landscapes, scientific institutions, and others to improve the prospects, rebuild populations of vulnerable species and improve targeted habitats for nature across England.
The new scheme is part of Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme (SRP), which has helped improve the conservation status of England’s priority and threatened species since the 1990s. Further details of the grant scheme, including how to apply, can be found on the Natural England blog here.