Among the UK BAP biodiversity protection objectives are 391 Species Action Plans (SAPs).
We have funded 11 projects which have contributed directly to SAP targets. These have benefited the following UK BAP priority species:
• basking shark
• black grouse
• cornfield flowers.
• great crested newts
• great yellow bumble
• horseshoe bat
• red kite
• red squirrel
• water vole
CASE STUDIES
Seeing more and more red
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Award: £303,500
Once common in the UK, the beautiful red kite was hunted almost to extinction in the 18th century and by 1988 it was one of only three globally threatened species in the UK. Since 1989 a major re-introduction programme has resulted in the establishment of six new red-kite population centres, from north Scotland to south-east England, and the number of breeding pairs currently stands at around 500.
The last phase of reintroduction of the bird in the country is the Northern Kites project in the North East of England, where no kites had been seen for 150 years until 2003. The five-year project started in 2004 and its success so far has exceeded all expectations, with an impressive 94 kites already released. These have all been reintroduced just 20 minutes away from urban areas such as Newcastle and Gateshead, allowing people to get close to these rare and spectacular birds.
‘Northern Kites’ is actively trying to get people involved with the spectacular birds. Viewing sites in Gibside and Derwent Walk Country Park, where path networks suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs already exist, will be clearly sign-posted. People from local communities are getting involved in producing information material and displays about the rare bird designed to appeal to all age-ranges and abilities. And commuters to and from Newcastle can now hop on the Red Kites bus service which takes them past the home of the kites in the Derwent Valley.
Despite the project not having advertised for volunteers, 70 people, some of them working actively on a weekly basis, have given 8,000 hours of their time to the programme since Spring 2004.
Help for bats
Bath & North East Somerset Council
Award: £178,500
The numbers of greater and lesser horseshoe bats in the UK have declined significantly in the last century, with an estimated [18,000–20,000] left, mainly in south-west England and south Wales. The bats are now a UK BAP priority species, and Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils have teamed up with a number of partnership organisations to help boost conservation efforts in the West Country.
The aim of the three-year initiative was to increase the bats’ favoured habitats – open scrub, grazed farmland and grassland. Identifying key sites and landscapes of importance to horseshoe bats, monitoring bat populations, and explaining why they are important and what can be done to keep and improve them were also parts of the project. Seconded staff from FWAG and Avon Wildlife Trust visited more than 60 farms and landholdings in the area, which encouraged 35 applications by landowners for grants from Natural England to help them manage their land in a wildlife- and horseshoe bat-friendly way. If successful, these would lead to sympathetic management of around 3,000 hectares of land in prime horseshoe-bat areas.
Volunteers also got involved in the project, helping to host events and activities, raising awareness of horseshoe bats, and training as Bat Wardens to monitor bat populations. They were from various background and ages, and some of them – such as the Freeways Trust, a group of adults with learning difficulties – regularly do environmental work, while others were new to nature conservation.
Bat audio trails – specially designed walks accompanied by audio guides – were also launched to help people enjoy their natural heritage.
Moth magic
Butterfly Conservation
Award: £806,000
They may not be as popular as butterflies, but the importance of moths for natural heritage should not be underestimated. They are indicators of environmental quality, providing important information of the health and condition of other invertebrates, plants, birds and mammals.
There are currently more than 50 species of larger moth listed as priority species on the UK BAP. The decline since the 1960s of moth populations in urban areas and the increasing rarity of around 800 large-moth sub-species, such as the Straw Belle and Brighton Wainscott, prompted Butterfly Conservation to put together a project to establish for the first time the state of moth populations in the UK and raise awareness of them. “We must reverse these declines. If we don’t, the outlook is grim,” said naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who launched the project at London Zoo.
The ‘Moths at your window’ project will involve the largest moth-count in the world, with more than 30,000 people expected to take part over three years. 1,500 volunteers will be trained to record data on large moths and the species they interact with for a new, publicly accessible online database. The findings will help to measure changes in biodiversity patterns and inform conservation policy and practice across the UK. An annual mass-participation survey, national conferences and the creation of a website to chart the progress of the project are also part of the initiative.