THREATENED Somerset species have benefitted from a multi-million-pound investment in aid of their recovery.

On Wednesday, August 13, it was announced that the £13-million pound Species Recovery Programme’s Capital Grants Scheme, which ran from August 2023 to March 2025, saw Natural England invest in targeted conservation efforts that gave species such as water vole, oystercatcher, lady’s slipper orchid, hazel dormouse and Atlantic salmon a chance to flourish.

In Somerset and North Somerset two projects have been funded under the scheme: Wilder Woodlands, in partnership with Avon Wildlife Trust and the Cam and Wellow Eel Project, run with Bristol Avon Rivers Trust.

The £398,000 grant for the Wilder Woodlands project focused on species recovery in the North Somerset and Mendip Special Area of Conservation. It targeted greater and lesser horseshoe bats, barbastelles and dormice by changing woodland from an even-aged site with plantation trees to one with diverse structure and increased light to benefit native species. Seven dexter cattle and a number of goats are now grazing the woodlands, as the dung they create attracts insects for the bats to feed on.

According to Natural England, surveys carried out during the project have given a valuable baseline for species in the area and a steering group has been formed, including local landowners, which will allow for a more joined up approach in managing the landscape.

Meanwhile the £175,000 grant for the Cam and Wellow Eel project has seen eel tiles installed on the Wellow to help eels and elvers move along the river and two weirs are soon to be removed on the Cam Brook.

In addition, further barriers have been removed at two sites on the Midford Brook at Dunkerton to assist lamprey to pass through more easily.

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said: “A rising number of nature recovery projects, both large and small, are making a huge difference up and down the country.

“The success of this programme is an example of how much we can do when we take a joined up, collaborative approach to restoring the natural world.

“We know we can turn round species decline and improve ecosystems with the right targeted actions, the drive and the funding.

“But time is running out fast - turning round nature’s decline needs to be a collective endeavour, so this is not just the preserve of dedicated specialists.

“Nature recovery work needs more projects, more volunteers and more money to flow from all sources, particularly the private sector. It will also need to go hand in hand with improved environmental quality, including through reduced pollution.

“The publication of the government’s revised Environmental Improvement Plan in the autumn will be a key moment. We will need to see increased ambition on species recovery, particularly looking at what can be done on some of our lost species.

“In the coming years, habitat management and creation alongside species reintroductions could be a real game changer for the health of ecosystems and help us achieve the country’s legally binding targets.”