Shropshire wildlife to benefit from £400,000 grant
Shropshire’s overgrown ex-industrial areas and rare butterflies are set to benefit from nearly £400,000 of funding this summer from a national biodiversity scheme.
Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership and Shropshire Wildlife Trust successfully applied for grants from the Biodiversity Action Fund from WREN, a not-for-profit business that awards grants generated by landfill tax through sites owned by FCC Environment, to community, environmental and heritage projects countrywide.
Shropshire Hills AONB’s £223,817 grant means ex-industrial areas can be cleared, making it more habitable for rare wildlife and more accessible to the public. It will also fund biodiversity surveys to help gain more knowledge of the sort of species exists and which areas of conservation need prioritising. The project is part of a wider landscape scale approach to conservation being delivered through the Stiperstones and Corndon Hill Country Landscape Partnership Scheme.
A grant of £174,667 for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust means that they can dramatically extend the area of conservation on the Oswestry Hills which will help regionally important grassland and help lots of species of butterflies that are increasingly threatened. Again, biodiversity surveys will be carried out, as will negotiation with landowners and a higher standard of care for the area. They may also introduce some sheep for grazing to improve the quality of the grassland.
WREN originally pledged £10 million to its Biodiversity Action Fund which is now in its fifth year – money which will help the UK meet ambitious biodiversity targets. It has now been confirmed that the fund will continue into the future, with WREN guaranteeing to give away at least £2 million a year to eligible projects.
Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership’s ‘Rescuing Rocks and Overgrown Relics’ project is one of 12 to receive a share of the fund this year, totalling more than £2.7 million. Other organisations to benefit in 2013 include Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Plantlife.
Clare Fildes, Development Officer from Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership said: “We’re looking forward to doing many conservational projects and building awareness of what needs to be done with these ex-industrial areas. Many think that covering torn up land with turf is okay, but there are a lot of important and quite rare species that need further help to exist such as butterflies, mosses, liken and even dormice.”
John Hughes, Development Manager from Shropshire Wildlife Trust said: “The funding has allowed us to expand the scale of our work on Owestry Hills greatly, which is essential in creating an environment that encourages butterflies to breed. A few wet summers have depressed the butterflies, making the planned work more important. The great thing is that this funding will be making differences in the area for the next few decades.”
Lisa Green, Operations Manager of WREN, said: “We are dedicated to supporting projects which protect, maintain and expand some of the country’s most unique ecosystems. We’re looking forward to seeing the projects take shape with the WREN funding, and seeing the positive impact they’ll have, helping to conserve some of the UK’s rarest habitats for generations to come.”
Mike Snell, head of external affairs at FCC Environment, said: “We’re delighted that such a great range of projects have applied for funding this year. These projects will help the UK meet government targets to improve and increase biodiversity. I advise other organisations to make the most of this valuable fund.”
