National Lottery Heritage Fund pledges £4.1 million towards ambitious nature partnership

Urgent action to save Wales’s most vulnerable wildlife is set to get underway this summer, thanks to players of the National Lottery.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the Natur am Byth partnership over £4.1m after two years of detailed planning.

67 species facing the greatest threat of extinction in Wales have been identified for action including the shrill carder bee, pink sea fan, spotted rock rose, eagles claw lichen and chough.

Not only will this be one of the most ambitious conservation programmes ever undertaken in Wales, but it will also offer a host of engagement and volunteer activities to bring each species to life, reconnect people to nature and build on the value that Welsh culture and language place on the natural world.

The four-year programme will support eleven project areas across Wales.

Each will tackle the root causes of species decline, working with hundreds of landowners and community volunteers to deliver positive change for nature recovery.

Natur am Byth is co-ordinated by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in partnership with Amphibian & Reptile Conservation; Bat Conservation Trust; Buglife; Bumblebee Conservation Trust; Butterfly Conservation; Plantlife; Marine Conservation Society; RSPB; and Vincent Wildlife Trust.

Emergency

Andrew White, Wales Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Up-skilling and inspiring people from a wide range of backgrounds to care for nature is fundamental to Natur am Byth and includes an innovative arts engagement programme, a trainee and volunteer network, and a community support scheme for grassroots action.”

NRW has contributed £1.7m and the Natur am Byth partners have secured a further £1.4m from Welsh Government, Arts Council of Wales and a number of charitable trusts, foundations and corporate donors.

These include donations from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Banister Charitable Trust, and significant support from Welsh Government’s Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA).

Clare Pillman, CEO of NRW said: “Never before has a partnership of so many voluntary organisations and NRW worked together in this way to tackle the nature emergency.

“The partnership will bring together expert scientific knowledge, local networks and unparalleled experience in engaging local communities and key stakeholders in plans to protect nature.

“In addition to the twenty jobs created by the programme, there will also be lots of opportunities for people to volunteer, learn new skills and attend a wide range of cultural and community events.”