The three year project will focus on building knowledge and skills of people to identify and monitor the species as well as supporting landowners to restore and create habitat for noble chafer beetles, red-horned cardinal click beetles, orchard toothcrust fungus and mistletoe marble moths. 

The four target species are just some of the 364 threatened species across 130 projects that are receiving £60 million of funding as part of the government’s Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife initiative.

Steve Bloomfield, Head of Conservation for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, explained “We’re delighted to have received this funding. Together with our partners at Gloucestershire and Herefordshire Wildlife Trusts, Aberystwyth University and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, we can’t wait to get started.

“One in six species in the UK are at risk of extinction. With the natural world underpinning everything from clean air and water to food production, we need to give it every chance we can of bouncing back. This is a great opportunity to do just that.

“Over the next few years we’ll not only be working with and supporting landowners to do great things for wildlife but we’ll also be undertaking some really exciting research to learn more about these rare and elusive species. For example, with our partners at Aberystwyth University, we’ll be delving into the world of pheromones and DNA to help us better monitor populations of noble chafers and red-horned cardinal click beetles.

“Of course, helping these threatened species will also help a whole host of other wildlife that relies on orchard habitats too.

The research will go beyond the three counties with surveys of noble chafers also taking place in the New Forest by colleagues at People’s Trust for Endangered Species, the UK’s only other stronghold for these rare beetles. Locally, they rely solely on decaying fruit trees but research in the New Forest will help the team to understand more about how they survive in other species of trees.

The project builds on the success of the Severn Treescapes partnership between Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trusts. Over the last four years, the teams have worked with landowners from the Wyre to the Wye to increase tree coverage for the benefit of wildlife and farmers as well as to ensure a continuity of decaying wood for wildlife for the future.

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said of the Species Recovery Programme ““We know that good science and effective partnerships can help restore species to favourable status, and this funding will enable us to support many initiatives to help halt and reverse the decline of our wonderful wildlife."

Further Information

The Species Recovery Programme is funded by the government and delivered by Natural England. The programme funds species conservation projects including research into reasons for decline and methods of recovery, targeted habitat niche improvements, captive breeding and species reintroductions.

A full list of funded projects and species is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/species-recovery-programme-projects-awarded-funding-for-2026-to-2029