Wetland on Somerset Levels to be restored and expanded with share of £25m grant

Lapwings, water voles and dragonflies are among the species which will benefit from new government funding. Credit: PA

Lapwings, water voles and dragonflies are among the species which will benefit from new government funding to restore and create nature-rich landscapes across England.

A total of 20 conservation projects, including "Bogs and Bitterns: Somerset Wetland Restoration" led by the Somerset Wildlife Trust, will receive a share of £25million from the Species Survival Fund.

The ambition is to restore over 3,300 hectares of critical habitats for wildlife, such as the Atlantic rainforest, grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands – a total area equivalent to the size of York.   The projects, which span the length and breadth of the country from Cornwall to Northumberland, will see over 11.5 kilometres of chalk river corridor restored in Hertfordshire, coastal and floodplain marsh improved in Dorset and chalky meadows recovered across the high peak of Derbyshire.

Lapwings, one of the world's most endangered birds, could benefit from the restoration of the wetland Credit: PA

On the Somerset Levels, 50 hectares of wetland habitat will be restored and expanded to create good quality "stepping stone" sites and improve species abundance across Somerset.

Simon Clarke, Head of Nature Recovery at Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: “The natural environment is at a critical crossroads.

"It’s vital that we are able to strengthen the county’s nature recovery network by focussing on these key, and vulnerable ‘stepping stone’ sites in the Avalon Marshes, and provide a range of resilient habitats that can continue to support a range of species and that can deliver the high functioning ecosystems that we know that will enable us to tackle climate change.

"We’re really delighted to have been awarded these funds and are looking forward to engaging with the local communities to explore ways that they can get involved."