National Trust land to receive £5m nature boost
'Huge potential'
Ben McCarthy, head of nature and restoration ecology at the trust, said the locations had "huge potential to dramatically increase the benefit they offer for boosting biodiversity and capturing carbon at a landscape scale".He said: "By taking impactful actions on the ground, working with others and with support from funders like the Garfield Weston Foundation, we will create bigger, better and more joined up habitats rich in wildlife."Conservationists said they hoped threatened and endangered wildlife would benefit, including water voles, pine martens, red squirrels and native white-clawed crayfish.
'Vital conservation work'
Funding for the project at Arlington would also support about 185 acres (75 hectares) of conservation work to encourage natural expansion, the trust said.Funding in the High Peak area of the Peak District would support restoration work across 7,470 acres (3,024 hectares) of moorland habitat, including 2,470 acres (1,000 hectares) of degraded blanket bog, it added.The trust would also continue to work with the Yorkshire Peat Partnership and the government environment department Defra in the Yorkshire Dales to restore 1,480 acres (600 hectares) of peatland at Upper Wharfedale and Malhamdale.Wetlands, woods and grasslands would be created over 172 acres (70 hectares) at Wallington, they trust said.Garfield Weston Foundation's deputy chair, Sophia Weston, said steps taken by the National Trust to carry out "vital conservation work" would ensure nature could thrive in the future.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Activists illegally releasing beavers into wild say they are doing ‘God's work'
A secret underground network that is illegally releasing beavers into the wild says they are 'doing God's work'. Members of the activist group risk arrest and potential prison time by carrying out the unlicensed release of beavers. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release beavers into the wild without a license, and countryside groups have called on the government to take stronger action to manage illegal releases. However, Ben, who spoke anonymously to the BBC, said: "It is just essentially God's work. We're undoing the damage of hundreds of years ago and bringing back these extraordinary animals.' The government approved the release of beavers into the English wild earlier this year in hopes of cutting down on flooding risks and restoring nature. A licensing system has been introduced to allow the reintroduction of the semi-aquatic animals, whose dams, canals, and ponds enhance wildlife and offer protection against floods and droughts. There have only been two full applications to release beavers into the wild: The River Otter Beaver Trial from 2015-2020, and the recent National Trust's Purbeck Beaver Project, which released two pairs in Dorset earlier this year. Beavers, vital for shaping their environments, disappeared from Britain over four centuries ago due to hunting. They have since reappeared in England's rivers through escapes and illegal releases and were legally protected in 2022. However, Ben, whose name has been changed, told the BBC that legal routes to release beavers are "too bureaucratic", so they are taking matters into their own hands. The group operates under a shroud of secrecy to protect themselves from being arrested. "You don't want to be caught with a box of beavers in the boot, so you have to be quite quick," Ben said. "You open the door, do it and drive away. They are instantly much happier in the water." However, the National Farmers Union have said farmers are worried about the impacts beavers can have on their land, business and food production. NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: 'With existing legal and illegal populations of beavers expanding across England, government needs to take stronger action to manage illegal releases and develop in consultation its long-term beaver management plan before any further releases are permitted.' 'The NFU wants to work with the government in developing its approach and will continue to monitor existing beaver populations and policy developments to ensure that the right strategy, management options and support are in place to minimise any negative impacts,' he added. Conservationists have long advocated for licensed wild reintroductions to enrich the UK's biodiversity and benefit communities. Evidence from a five-year trial on the River Otter in Devon demonstrates that beaver-created habitats support diverse wildlife, including water voles and dragonflies. They also slow the flow of water, reducing the risk of flooding downstream, and can store water in the landscape during drought, as well as purifying polluted river systems, removing sediment and storing carbon. Dr Angelika von Heimendahl, beaver reintroduction manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said the organisation does not endorse releasing wild animals without a licence, but stressed the 'fantastic work that beavers do across our river systems' must be recognised. She added that The Wildlife Trusts hope to see a 'meaningful number of wild release licences granted going forward', as restoring beavers to the wild will play a key role in tackling the nature and climate emergencies. Natural England said it is important that species reintroductions are conducted carefully, to maximise benefits and minimise risks.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Week in wildlife: an orphaned sloth bear, swimming hippos and cheeky New Forest donkeys
A red kite glides on thermal updraughts on a hot day in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK Photograph: Paul Marriott/Shutterstock Birds perch on the antlers of a deer in Bushy Park, London, UK Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Jenny, a five-month-old female sloth bear cub, was found clinging to her injured mother, believed to have been the victim of human-wildlife conflict in Shahdol, India. Despite efforts to save her, the mother died, and Jenny was sent to the Agra bear rescue facility, showing signs of severe stress and digestive issues. She is now housed in a specially designed cub-weaning area, receiving a custom diet of milk formula and around-the-clock care. As she begins to heal, Jenny is slowly becoming more active and gaining weight Photograph: International Animal Rescue and Wildlife SOS A heath fritillary butterfly. One of the UK's rarest butterflies is seeing a significant rise in numbers and range on Exmoor. More than 1,000 heath fritillaries have been recorded so far this year on the National Trust's Holnicote estate in Somerset. This is a significant rise from about 600 at the same time last year Photograph: Matthew Oates/PA Hippos swim in Dulahazara safari park, Bangladesh Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A gull strikes a pose in Lowestoft, Suffolk – just one of the UK towns struggling with the issue of gulls, particularly kittiwakes, that nest, steal food and leave abundant droppings throughout residential areas Photograph: Ali Smith/The Guardian Fincare routine … killer whales have been observed mutually grooming each other with a type of seaweed, the first known instance of a marine animal using tools in a way that was previously thought to be the preserve of primates such as humans. The behaviour, called 'allokelping', was observed off the coast of Washington state, US, where one whale would bite off a chunk of kelp and roll it between its body and another's, as a kind of exfoliating scrub Photograph: Center for Whale Research/Reuters Wild yılkı horses graze around the grass-covered crater of Mount Karadağ, southern Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Donkeys are caught breaking into the food recycling bins in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, UK. The council's move to introduce food waste bins has provoked a backlash, as some of the New Forest's 200 free-roaming donkeys have quickly learned to knock over the bins and feast on their contents. 'This is exactly what we thought would happen and I think it is only going to get worse,' said a resident Photograph: Solent News & Photo Agency A European green lizard drinks water near Csobánka, northern Hungary Photograph: Attila Kovács/EPA A group of raccoons come out after dark in Kassel, Germany. There are thousands of raccoons in the city, and while many in the city have embraced the animal, the EU classes it as an invasive species and ecologists are divided about what to do next Photograph: David Hup Sambar deer in an enclosure before being released in Khlong Lan national park, Thailand. The species is classed as vulnerable, but, in an unfortunate turn of events, these particular deer are being used to support Thailand's wild tiger population, which needs prey: there are only about 200 endangered tigers left in the area Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images A bear is caught on a hunter's camera calmly feasting on bait in Pabradė, Lithuania Photograph: Paulius Peciulis/AP A baby macaque clings to its mother for safety at Dulhazara safari park, Bangladesh Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Four American white pelicans visit a pond in a public park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Photograph: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Shutterstock A gull gets a bird eye's view of Ann Li of the US playing Britain's Emma Raducanu at the Rothesay international tennis tournament in Eastbourne, UK Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images A dolphin leaps through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz in Oman's northern Musandam peninsula Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images A turtle is released into the sea in Valencia, Spain, to the delight of its assembled fans Photograph: Kai Forsterling/EPA A Eurasian hoopoe flies in Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A rabbit forages at sunrise in Bushy park, London, UK Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A bear cools off with a dip and a fruity snack at a rehabilitation centre near Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Puffins in action on the Farne islands, Northumberland, UK Photograph: Jane Hobson/Shutterstock
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
Jersey rural lane named island's prettiest in competition
A rural lane with a "delightful ambience" has been named the prettiest in Jersey in an annual Jersiaise said the judges were impressed by the natural and rustic feel of Rue de l'Épine in competition looks at the mix of trees and shrubs, wildlife, wildflowers and the sensitivity of said no pesticides were used in Rue de l'Épine and it had a range of wildflowers and wildlife as well as a variety of species in the hedges, trees and banks. Parishes were asked to nominate asked nominate one lane for the competition and this year 10 out of 12 parishes took judging panel was made up of four rangers, two from Infrastructure and Environment, one from the National Trust for Jersey and one from the Rotary Club de la Manche. Last year's winner was La Rue de Conet in St Brelade.
