500 hectares of Dorset land to become wildlife habitats

500 hectares of new wildlife habitats are to be created or revitalised across Dorset, through Government funding for the county's Wildlife Trust.

They've earmarked 18 sites to benefit from the Species Survival Fund, aimed at halting and reversing the decline in species by preserving vital habitats and creating nature-rich landscapes.

Dorset Wildlife Trust is one of 20 organisations getting a share of £25 million.

They'll now work on sites including Lyscombe near Dorchester, Brownsea Island Lagoon, Kingcombe National Nature Reserve and West Holme near Wareham.

The project will restore meadows, wetlands, and orchards and create wood pasture, grasslands, and ponds. All these habitats will drive species recovery.

Andrew Pollard, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Director of Conservation said:

“Our vision for this project is to create thriving biodiversity hubs which will increase the abundance of wildlife species across Dorset. Nearly 400 hectares of this land has little or no wildlife interest currently and so when it is restored, it will help form new nature recovery networks through the county.

"The funding will enable us to develop our land management services through which we advise and support neighbouring farmers and landowners with the aim of helping nature to recover, not just on our nature reserves but across the whole landscape. Our thanks go to Defra and The National Lottery for giving us this incredible opportunity to do something positive now to protect the 3,000 species of wildlife in Dorset which have been identified as threatened, rare or protected.”

The project will help Dorset’s rural economy too, by creating four new full-time jobs, plus two traineeship opportunities.

Chief Executive, Brian Bleese, Dorset Wildlife Trust chief executive said:

“These are great career opportunities for people that share our passion and dedication for creating a wilder Dorset; we would like to hear from people who want to make a difference for nature and the environment.”

The project will also use locally based contractors for much of the habitat restoration work helping to maintain and strengthen countryside skills.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.