A Lapwing. Credit: Natural England/Allan Drewitt.
Since 1970, wildlife populations have fallen by a third, with one in six species now at risk of extinction in England.
Healthy ecosystems support clean water, clean air, flood resilience and food security. Apex predators help keep food chains in balance. Species like beavers restore wetlands that can reduce flood risk for nearby communities. Pollinators support the agricultural systems that food production depends on. Restoring nature can therefore have benefits that extend beyond wildlife alone.
Reintroductions and species recovery projects work to bring back individual animals, plants and fungi, and in doing so can help restore the ecological relationships that healthy landscapes depend on.
The Government has set statutory targets to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to reduce species extinction risk by 2042 against 2022 levels, as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan.
That’s why the Government has made a record investment in nature. In this post, we’ll talk you through the recent news and campaign for species recovery.
The largest investment in Species Recovery
The Government has announced a £60 million investment into the Species Recovery Programme over the next 3 years — more than double the previous round of funding. Administered by Natural England, the programme funds habitat restoration, captive breeding and species reintroductions across England. An additional £30 million will be dedicated to species recovery in the nation’s forests cared for by Forestry England.
Alongside the funding, Defra has unveiled a new campaign Wild Again: Restoring England's Wildlife which will bring together the Government's existing and future work to protect and recover native species.
Over the past three decades, the Species Recovery Programme has helped protect over 1,000 species and prevented the national extinction of at least 35. Between 2022 and 2024, more than 600 species benefited from its conservation work, including the water vole, hazel dormouse and oystercatcher.
Recent successes delivered through the programme include the first red-billed chough to hatch in the wild in Kent for over 200 years, the reintroduction of black grouse to the North Yorkshire Moors, the return of the large marsh grasshopper to the Norfolk Broads after an 85-year absence, and the captive rearing and release of more than 420 water voles across Northamptonshire, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire.
Water vole in river. Credit: Getty Images.Species receiving the funding so far
Last week, the Government confirmed the first five species set to benefit from the new funding for the Species Recovery Programme. This includes turtle dove, diamond-backer spider, red-billed chough, oystercatcher and the glutinous snail.
The turtle dove has seen its population in England decline by an estimated 99% between the 1960s and 2023, largely due to the loss of seed-rich food sources. New Government funding for the RSPB with Kent Wildlife Trust , will support the wildflower-rich habitats these birds need, building on existing work in the south-east of England.
The diamond-backed spider was considered extinct in the UK for nearly half a century before its rediscovery at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire in 2017. It is currently found at only this one site in the UK. New funding for the National Trust-will support the species at this location.
The red-billed chough is recovering in Kent through a captive breeding and reintroduction programme run by Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust. The first wild chick to hatch in Kent for over 200 years was recorded at Dover Castle in May 2024. New funding will continue to support this work.
Eurasian Oystercatcher. Credit: Natural England/Allan Drewitt.The Eurasian oystercatcher will benefit from a new project led by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Natural England to support its breeding success in England. Britain supports up to 45% of Europe's wintering oystercatcher population.
The glutinous snail has been extinct in England since the early 1990s. A new project led by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, alongside a consortium of zoos, will work towards reintroducing the species in England.
The return of the Golden Eagle
Golden eagles were once widespread across England but were virtually wiped out by persecution during the Victorian era. The last eagle in England died in the Lake District in 2016.
A feasibility study published by Forestry England has identified eight potential recovery zones, mostly in northern England, where golden eagle populations could be sustained. The Environment Secretary has approved £1million of government funding to explore a reintroduction programme, with the potential for juvenile birds to be released as early as next year.
Charity Restoring Upland Nature (RUN) will lead the project in partnership with Forestry England, drawing on the approach used by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which has helped restore golden eagle populations in southern Scotland. Satellite tracking indicates that some of those birds have already begun to cross the border into northern England. The programme will involve engagement with farmers, gamekeepers, land managers and local communities.
A long-term commitment
These announcements build on a number of earlier decisions, including the government's approval of the first wild beaver releases in England since the species was hunted to extinction hundreds of years ago, a nature-friendly farming budget of £11.8 billion across this Parliament, and the creation of three new National Forests.
For more news on species recovery stories, subscribe to the Defra Environment Blog to receive updates.
https://defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk/2026/04/14/wild-again-a-new-chapter-for-englands-species/
seen at 10:30, 14 April in Environment.