Salisbury based charity to receive almost £1m in Green Recovery funding
They've been given the money for two of it's conservation projects
Salisbury based charity Plantlife have been awarded £922,700 from the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund.
£40 million has been allocated to projects across the country to help retain thousands of green jobs, plant trees and protect landscapes and habitats.
Two of Plantlife's conservation projects will benefit from funding, which are:
- Meadow Makers - a major new conservation partnership project to create new wild flower meadows across England
- Saving England's Juniper - a large-scale and to save juniper, the rare and threatened species that flavours gin and is heading towards extinction
An alarming decline in meadows has seen 97% across the country eradicated and the remaining 3% on the brink of extinction.
The wide-scale meadows restoration initiative will provide a prime platform for wild flowers and wildlife to make a recovery in the county.
Commenting on the meadows funding, Ian Dunn, Plantlife CEO, said:
"In well-loved landscapes including the Cotswolds, Lake District, Dartmoor and the Forest of Bowland, gorgeous green hay will be collected and spread from ancient 'donor' meadows sites to ‘recipient’ sites in a massive transplant operation that will give a powerful shot in the arm to nature recovery. This funding firmly plants wild flower meadows at the heart of the green recovery.
Juniper was once a common feature of chalk downlands but is now facing extinction in southern Britain. There is but one juniper bush on the Isle of Wight and just 14 in Dorset. This vital funding offers fresh hope to the beloved purple berried beauty as it paves the way for Plantlife conservationists to work closely with landowners to expand on tried and tested methods to catalyse regeneration from seed."
The Green Recovery Challenge Fund has a total of £80 million to give out, with the first half already being allocated.
The second round of funding will open early next year.
Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, said:
"These projects will drive forward work across England to restore and transform our landscapes, boost nature and create green jobs, and will be a vital part of helping us to build back greener from coronavirus.
I look forward to working with environmental organisations as these projects help address the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, while creating and retaining jobs as part of the green recovery."