Ten nature projects – which includes the converting an ex-golf course into an urban oasis for bees and butterflies, rewilding a village and restoring Ice Age ponds – have been launched by The Wildlife Trusts in efforts to help restore wild landscapes across England and Wales.
The projects are part of The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 by 30 campaign ambition to kickstart nature’s recovery across 30% of land by 2030. The plan is to reverse decades of steep wildlife declines and threats to the natural world.
The new projects, announced by The Wildlife Trusts, are additions to a growing list of nature recovery projects that will put new land aside for nature as well as repair and link-up existing, fragmented, wild areas to enable wildlife to move around – some of these are still fundraising.
Sir David Attenborough, President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “If given a chance – nature is capable of extraordinary recovery. The Wildlife Trusts’ campaign to secure 30 per cent of our land and sea for nature’s recovery by 2030 offers us the vision and level of ambition that is urgently needed to reverse the loss of nature, and so improve all our lives.
“We are facing a global extinction crisis which has implications for every one of us. It’s tempting to assume that the loss of wildlife and wild places is a problem that’s happening on the other side of the world. The truth is that the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries on the planet and the situation is getting worse.”
Among the projects are the transformation of a 42-acre ex-golf course in Carlisle into an urban bee and butterfly oasis; the restoration of 95 acres of arable fields back to heathland for nature in Worcestershire; the reviving of ice-age ponds and expanding heathland across 140 acres, Norfolk; and managing traditional Rhos pasture for butterfly conservation, Radnorshire.
In Wiltshire, there are plans to quadruple a nature reserve to help the rare marsh fritillary butterfly, while in Shropshire, The Wildlife Trusts will buy 12 acres of unsprayed fields for yellow mountain pansy.
Of the £8 million total raised to date, over £900,000 has been given by members of the public.
Images Source: The Wildlife Trusts
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.
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