UK conservation projects target rare habitats with land donation, government funding, and volunteer grazing

A floodplain meadow, a sand dune scheme, and a butterfly habitat project highlight ongoing efforts to protect rare species across England and Wales.

• The Thompson family donated White Mills Meadow in Northamptonshire to the Wildlife Trust, which plans to restore it with hay cuts and conservation grazing.
• The government announced funding for a three-year project in Cumbria to boost numbers of northern dune tiger beetles and natterjack toads.
• Amphibian and Reptile Conservation official Jack Harper said the natterjack toad population in the UK is only a few thousand.
• In the Vale of Glamorgan, volunteers introduced cows with solar-panel collars to graze bracken and protect the high brown fritillary butterfly's habitat.