Dorset Wildlife Trust has been awarded a share of a £14.5 million grant by Natural England as part of the government commitment to reduce species at risk of extinction in the UK. The grant will help recover some of Dorset’s most rare and threatened species – from the sand lizard and lapwing to the great crested newt, greater horseshoe bat and the ladybird spider. 

The Dorset Species Recovery Programme will implement a series of practical interventions to create and improve the habitat for a set of ten specially selected 'Priority Species' across 11 Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserves in Dorset. These 'Priority Species' are threatened or near threatened and have a need for urgent action if they are to survive. The ten species are: pillwort, marsh clubmoss, sand lizard, heath tiger beetle, lapwing, dingy mocha, great crested newt, ladybird spider, fly orchid and greater horseshoe bat.  

The programme will benefit wildlife across Dorset. Across heathland reserves, the project will involve creating dry heathland scrapes to enable the sand lizard to create a burrow in which to lay its eggs and wet scrapes for pillwort and marsh club moss to establish itself. Over in West Dorset, ponds will be created and restored at Kingcombe and Powerstock Common to benefit the great crested newt and in the north of Dorset, woodland management will aim to provide more habitat for the fly orchid.  

Andrew Pollard, Conservation Director at Dorset Wildlife Trust said:   

“We are thrilled to have been successful in our application for the Natural England’s Species Recovery Grant. Dorset Wildlife Trust is in a unique position to make a sustainable difference to the current downward population trends of these species in our nature reserves across the county. The planned programme of habitat management works will be targeted at the ten 'Priority Species but we have identified that it will naturally make a significant contribution to the fortunes of a great many more.”