Cumbria’s Wildlife Trust has received £155,000 to transform 71 acres of grassland into meadows.
From limestone grassland in Arnside, one of the sunniest and driest places in Cumbria, to a site not far from the wettest place in Cumbria – 16 areas of grassland will be transformed to support plants and insects.
They also include lakeside settings near Coniston and Ullswater and upland hay meadows in the Westmorland Dales.
The trust have have joined forces with National Highways to launch the new Network for Nature project and will work with landowners and tenants to restore the grasslands.
Around 15,000 plug plants will be planted, to increase the range of flowering plants, give pollinators more opportunities to forage, and join up important habitats that are currently fragmented.
The sites range from small farms and orchards of just under an acre, to larger areas of land within the Arnside and Silverdale AONB or owned by the National Trust.
Claire Cornish, Grassland Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “We are very grateful to National Highways for this brilliant funding. We live in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. We’ve lost of 97% of lowland meadows which once hummed with the buzz of bees, and beautiful butterflies. So we must act now to save what’s left!
“There’s an amazing variety of wild pollinators in Cumbria, including bumblebees, hoverflies, solitary bees, butterflies and moths. They depend on flower-rich habitat to survive. The loss of this precious habitat, mainly through changes in farming practices, has led to their decline.
“Our vision for the future of these hay meadows is that by working with landowners, we can change management practices over the long term, join up fragmented places that can support a wealth of wildlife and provide amazing places for people to enjoy.”
Chloe O’Hare, National Highways Environment Team Manager for the North West, added: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Cumbria Wildlife Trust to support and enhance biodiversity.
“It’s a great example of the work the Wildlife Trust is doing to safeguard a wide variety of species – both insect and plant – which play a vital role in pollination. This demonstrates the value and potential of our Environment and Wellbeing Designated Funds Programme, which ringfences funding for vital work such as this.
“We are proud to be supporting this transformation of grassland in Cumbria, and look forward to seeing the results in the future.”
