Life changing

20 species saved – you’re doing big things for little creatures

In one of the most ambitious conservation projects of its kind, 20 UK species facing extinction will be brought Back from the Brink thanks to £4.6 million of National Lottery funding raised by you.

The project will focus on saving some very rare and elusive species from extinction, including the shrill carder bee, chequered skipper butterfly, ladybird spider and northern dune tiger beetle.

The funding will also help a further 200 species that, while not facing extinction, are under threat, including the long–eared bat, pine marten, willow tit, large garden bumblebees and hedgehogs.

Back from the Brink is the first nationwide coordinated effort to bring a wide range of leading charities and conservation bodies together to save threatened species. Natural England, the government’s wildlife advisory body, will work with seven other conservation partners to pool expertise, develop new ways of working and inspire people across the country to discover, value and act for threatened animals, plants and fungi.

The ground-breaking programme will:

  1. Safeguard 20 species from extinction
  2. Directly improve the conservation prospects of a further 200
  3. Recruit and teach more than 5,500 volunteers new skills to study, identify and care for threatened species; and
  4. Engage with landowners and communities to deliver conservation at 150 different locations across England

Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ros Kerslake, said: “I am delighted we are able to fund this important and ground–breaking project. We’re all ultimately dependent on our ecosystem and these creatures are like canaries in the mine. Thanks to a combination of National Lottery funding and expertise from across multiple agencies and conservation charities, we can make a positive and lasting change before it is too late.”

For more information please see https://www.hlf.org.uk

Credits: Ladybird spider. Photo credit: Stephen Dalton. Lucanus Cervus (stag beetle). Photo credit: Greg Hitchcock. Formica exsecta queens (narrow headed ants). Photo credit: Hayley Wiswell.

The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.

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