Plans to help stop the disappearance of eight species of moth, native oysters, Twinflowers and Surrey’s hedgerow wildlife can now go ahead thanks to the funding. 

"Urgent action is needed to help nature recover. National Lottery funding is creating incredible opportunities for people to take such action for species under threat."

Drew Bennellick, Head of Land and Nature Policy

Drew Bennellick, Head of Land and Nature Policy at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Urgent action is needed to help nature recover. National Lottery funding is creating incredible opportunities for people to take such action for species under threat and, crucially, equipping a new generation with the skills and passion to make a real difference for the future of our natural world.”

Moths in Kent

Community groups in Kent will work with Butterfly Conservation to help save eight species of moth at risk of imminent extinction. Five of these species are now only found in Kent.

Oysters in Essex

Volunteers will help the Zoological Society of London build a habitat for oysters in Essex known as ‘mother oyster sanctuary’. This will kickstart a self-sustaining population of the species which, without urgent intervention, is at risk of extinction.

Twinflowers in the Cairngorms

Citizen scientists and Plantlife will take action to save the Twinflower from extinction and help many other rare wild plants flourish in the Cairngorms National Park.

Hedgerows in Surrey

A third of Surrey’s wildlife is extinct or on the verge of extinction, largely due to habitat loss including hedgerows.

Surrey Wildlife Trust will equip people with traditional hedgelaying skills to try and turn around the fortunes of the county’s natural heritage.

Taking action for nature

Eleven other projects will take a share of The National Lottery funding. They will:

• establish a citizen science scheme to monitor whales, dolphins and harbour porpoises in the Northern Isles

• restore Herefordshire’s Ice Age kettle hole ponds

• rewild parts of Sharpham parkland in Devon

• celebrate the 50th anniversary of Suffolk Coast and Heaths and the Dedham Vale Areas of Natural Beauty

• inspire people in Cumbria to protect the River Eden and its habitats

• bring volunteers and experts together to gather vital data on nature across Sheffield and Rotherham

• restore the historic lake at Boultham Park in Lincoln to enable wildlife to flourish

• help the fragmented ancient forest of Faughan Valley in Northern Ireland to thrive once more

• conserve and connect people to the landscapes and habitats of Somerset’s Quantock Hills

• restore and protect habitats in parts of the Cumbrian North Pennines and Eden Valley

• inspire new generations to connect with and protect the natural world in the North York Moors National Park

#HeritageTreasures Day

Join us on 11 January in celebrating the natural world for our annual #HeritageTreasures Day.