Natural England, the government’s official adviser for the natural environment, has announced funding for 130 projects designed to help 364 threatened species recover across England between 2026 and 2029. 

The initiative, which is funded through Nature England’s Species Recovery Programme, aims to prevent extinctions and enable the country’s most threatened species to recovery more quickly. Key components include research, conservation action, habitat restoration, breeding programmes and species reintroductions. 

Among the chosen initiatives is the proposed reintroduction of the New Forest cicada, a flying insect species which disappeared from the UK decades ago. Other projects will support species ranging from beavers and butterflies to freshwater pearl mussels and native crayfish.