Kent Wildlife Trust awarded £1.28m species grant
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- Kent Wildlife Trust received a £1.28m grant through Natural England's Species Recovery Programme, backed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Funds will be spent on projects along the River Stour — home to England's largest wild beaver population — and on ancient woodland at the Blean, near Canterbury.
- The grant will fund the release of more beavers and habitat restoration with landowners, alongside a Blean survey of six endangered species including the UK's rare heath fritillary butterfly and the turtle dove.
- Paul Hadaway, the trust's director of conservation and engagement, said the funding lets them strengthen their "nationally important beaver population" and help "shape species recovery across England."
- Emma Reynolds, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, framed the award as part of the "largest-ever investment in species recovery."
Why it matters: Kent Wildlife Trust gains £1.28m to expand England's largest wild beaver population and survey six endangered Blean species, including the heath fritillary butterfly — work the trust says will directly inform species recovery efforts beyond the county. For landowners along the River Stour, the grant means new habitat-restoration partnerships backed by central government funding rather than trust fundraising alone.
