Heddon Valley in Devon to be
haven for high brown fritillary, supported by lottery funding
Wed 24 Jan
2018 00.01 GMT
A beautiful wooded valley on the
Devon coast is to be the focus of a project to save the UK’s most endangered
butterfly – the high brown fritillary.
Conservationists believe changes
to woodland management, such as the abandonment of coppicing, and climate
change have contributed to the steep decline of the large, powerful,
fast-flying butterfly over the last 50 years.
The National Trust has
been given £100,000 by the People’s Postcode Lottery to improve 150 acres of
lowland heath and wood pasture at Heddon Valley on the north Devon coast as a
habitat for the butterfly.
Other butterflies including the
heath fritillary, and birds such as the nightjar and the Dartford warbler will
also benefit.
Matthew Oates, a National Trust
nature expert and butterfly enthusiast, said: “We’ve witnessed a catastrophic
decline of many native butterfly populations in recent decades but initiatives
like this can really help to turn the tide.”
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