plantlife 25th year annual review · plantlife 25th year annual review 3 photograph ©robin...

3Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review

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HRH The Prince of Wales with members of the Coronation Meadows team in Coach Road Field, Battle, the meadow for East Sussex.

The team from left to right: Estate manager and Coronation Meadows steering group member, Keith Datcher; owner of the meadow, Harry Wills; and Plantlife’s Coronation Meadows Project Manager, Dan Merrett

2 Foreword

5Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review

Conservation successes 2014-15

Over 1,000 hectares of Meirionnydd Oakwoods Important Plant Area have been mapped for lichens, revealing species never before found in Wales and underlining how important these temperate rainforests are. The 18-month project saw the return of grazing and 30 land managers trained in the identification and management of rare lichens. The project also resulted in £40,000 being injected into the local economy.

Partners: RSPB, National Trust, Woodland Trust, Natural Resources Wales, Snowdonia National Park Authority, individual landowners

Funded by:• The Welsh Government’s Resilient Ecosystems Fund • Ashley Family Foundation

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In Scotland, over 50 land managers were trained at demonstration days held in coastal pasture, pinewoods and Atlantic woodlands. They are able to draw on data gathered by our volunteer Flora Guardians through the National Biodiversity Network.

This year, land managers have also had access to detailed information about Atlantic woodland, pinewoods and oceanic heath across Scotland, as well as the coastal pasture of the north coast. Landowners can use this guidance to incorporate national conservation priorities into their own business practices.

Partners: Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, RSPB Scotland

Funded by:• Scottish Natural Heritage• Forestry Commission Scotland• Albert George and Nancy Caroline Youngman Trust

4 Conservation successes 2014-15

At most of the coastal sites on the Lizard IPA, rare plants had become distant memories, but we’ve restored over two kilometres of heathland trackways and created 25 pools. Today, chamomile, pillwort, shoreweed, three-lobed crowfoot and pennyroyal mint are again thriving, where for decades they have been absent.

Partners: Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Natural England

Funded by:• SITA Trust• Natural England

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We’ve cleared large areas of invasive cotoneaster from Portland to help save the rare and intricate lichens and mosses that give this landscape its international importance. Early results herald the return of the white orchid autumn lady’s-tresses and other native beauties such as Portland spurge, bird’s-foot-trefoil and horseshoe vetch. In turn, these flowers attract the special butterflies of Portland, such as Adonis Blue.

Partners:Dorset Countryside (Dorset County Council), Natural England, Dorset Biodiversity Partnership, Dorset Wildlife Trust

Funded by:• SITA Trust

6 7Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review

Eighteen hectares of sand dune at Kenfig IPA – the last-known site in Wales for fen orchid – have been scraped free of marram grass and we are starting to witness the results. There are resurgences in populations of nationally rare species such as knotted pearlwort, lesser water-plantain and shoreweed.

Partners: Natural Resources Wales, Trustees of Kenfig Corporation, Bridgend County Borough Council

Funded by: • Natural Resources Wales • Million Ponds Project• Esmée Fairbairn• Environment Wales


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Plantlife is a key player in the Government’s new National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS). This enables scientists, for the first time, to carry out an annual stock take of the UK’s wild plants and their habitats, with volunteers providing evidence of which widespread plants are increasing or declining, as well as indicating the changing state of our habitats such as grassland, fenland and even road verges. Over 1,100 volunteers have signed up so far, and have been supported by Plantlife with a suite of survey materials and training workshops.

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Highest ever numbers of greater butterfly orchids at Caeau Tan y Bwlch Reserve, just under 5,000

Numbers of clustered bellflower, rare in Kent, are up 7 times

Partners:• Centre of Ecology & Hydrology • Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland Funded by:• Joint Nature Conservation Committee Plantlife and IUCN-Mediterranean are working with nine national partners on the Conserving wild plants and habitats for people in the south and east Mediterranean (IPA Med) project. Here, groups of local volunteers are conducting monitoring and conservation within more than 15 Important Plant Areas.

Funded by:• MAVA Foundation

Highest numbers of green-winged orchid and greater butterfly orchid ever recorded at Joan’s Hill Farm

Rare moss Orthotrichum acuminatum was recorded at Joan’s Hill Farm – it has not been seen in Britain since 2009

Over 1,100 volunteers have signed up to the National Plant Monitoring Scheme

Meadow clary population grown by 5 times in one year at Ranscombe Farm Reserve


News from our reserves

40,000 people are engaged in our Save our Magnificent Meadows project:

• Over 1,300 people trained in the skills needed to look after meadows.

• Approaching 400 farmers and landowners were given advice on how to manage their meadows and grasslands.

• 129 hectares of grassland have been maintained.

• 78 hectares of meadow restored.

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Partners: Cotswolds Conservation Board, Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, National Trust Wales, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Ulster Wildlife, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust

Funded by:• Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)• Natural England• Scottish Natural Heritage• Natural Resources Wales• Community Foundation of Tyne

& Wear and Northumberland

Sixty-two new meadows, totalling 225 hectares, have been restored using green hay and seed since the Coronation Meadows project was launched.

Partners The Wildlife Trusts, Rare Breeds Survival Trust

Funded by:• Biffa Award• CWM Community &

Environmental Fund• A gift from Peter

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Collecting green hay at Hollybed Farm Meadows, Malvern, Worcestershire, with help from Worcestershire Wildlife Trust volunteers

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To celebrate our 25th birthday, we held a public vote to find out which are our favourite wild flowers. With just under 10,000 votes cast, the bluebell received the most overall votes, but primrose was the firm favourite in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This year, Springwatch viewers helped us double the number of signatures on our petition in just 24 hours. Nearly 16,000 people have joined the call for councils to manage our rural road verges better for wildlife. Councils responsible for nearly 12,000km of council-managed verges signed up to Plantlife guidelines, an area of over 12,000 hectares.

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Plantlife in numbers

In 2014-15, £3 million was spent saving and celebrating wild flowers. Here’s how we spent your money...

Income Split

Activities Cost Split

Nature Reserves 4%

Conservation projects 60%

Advice, policy and campaigns

10%

International projects 6%

Outreach and education 7%

Data and surveys 4%

Communication 9%


Charitable Trusts 7%

Appeals 4%

Legacies 19%

Membership 10%

Investment income 6%

Grants 47%

Nature reserves 2%

Other 5%

Thank you...

Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales Plantlife HQ, 14 Rollestone Street, Salisbury SP1 1DX 01722 342730 [email protected]

Plantlife Scotland, Stirling 01786 478509 [email protected]

Plantlife Cymru, Cardiff 02920 376193 [email protected]

www.plantlife.org.uk Plantlife is a charitable company limited by guarantee, company no. 3166339

Registered in England and Wales, charity no. 1059559 Registered in Scotland, charity no. SC038951

ISBN 978-1-910212-23-3 October 2015

designbyStudioAde.com Cover: Road verge in Dorset ©Joss Barratt/Plantlife

...to our loyal supporters, who have contributed their time and money: • Adrian Darby OBE• Andrew Lingham, Court Farm,

Upper Halling, Rochester, Kent• Berkshire, Buckinghamshire

and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust• Brecknock Wildlife Trust• Brecon Beacons National Park• Bridgend County Borough Council• Butterfly Conservation East

Midlands Group• Carmarthenshire County Council• Conservatoire botanique national

de Bailleul• Conservatoire d’espaces naturels

du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais• Conway County Borough Council• Cornwall Wildlife Trust• Cotswolds Conservation Board• Cumbria Wildlife Trust• Denbighshire County Council• Flintshire County Council• Herefordshire Nature Trust• Isle of Anglesey County Council• Kent Wildlife Trust• Medway Council• Medway Valley Countryside

Partnership• Ministry of Defence• National Museums Wales, St Fagans• National Trust• National Trust Wales• North Wales Wildlife Trust• Northumberland Wildlife Trust• Our nature reserves volunteers• Radnorshire Wildlife Trust• Royal Botanic Gardens Kew• RSPB• RSPB Wales• Rutland Natural History Society• Scottish Wildlife Trust• Snowdonia National Park• Somerset Wildlife Trust• South East Wales Biological

Records Centre• Staffordshire Wildlife Trust• Suffolk Wildlife Trust• Sussex Wildlife Trust• The Forestry Commission• The Naturesave Trust• Ulster Wildlife• University of Wales, Aberystwyth• Wales Biodiversity Partnership• Wales Government• Wiltshire Wildlife Trust

• Worcestershire Wildlife Trust• Wye Valley AONB volunteers• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Grant-giving organisations/partners• Biffa Award• Big Lottery Fund• Caithness & North Sutherland Fund• EuropeAid for Macedonia• Forestry Commission England• Forestry Commission Scotland• GrantScape• Heritage Lottery Fund• Highland Council Landfill

Communities Fund• INTERREG IVA France (Channel)

– England European cross-border co-operation programme, which is co-financed by the ERDF

• MAVA Foundation Pour La Nature• Natural England• Natural Resources Wales• North Wessex Downs AONB

Sustainable Development Fund• Scottish Natural Heritage• SITA Trust• The Campaign for National Parks

(Park Protector Award)• The CWM Community and

Environmental Fund• Veolia Environmental Trust• Welsh Government Resilient

Ecosystems Fund• WREN Biodiversity Action Fund Charitable trusts• A & N Daniell Charitable Trust• Albert George and Nancy Caroline

Youngman Trust• Alfred Williams Charitable Trust• Ashley Family Foundation• Banister Trust• Calleva Foundation• Carew Pole Charitable Trust• Cecil Pilkington Charitable Trust• Chapman Charitable Trust• Clark Bradbury Charitable Trust• Community Foundation Tyne &

Wear and Northumberland• Craignish Trust• D S Smith Charitable Foundation• Dorothy Whitney Elmhirst Trust• Dovehouse Trust• D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust• Eda, Lady Jardine Charitable Trust

• Elmgrant Trust• Emily Weircroft• Equitable Charitable Trust• Ernest Cook Trust• Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation• Fitzmaurice Trust• Four Winds Trust• Garfield Weston Foundation• Godinton Charitable Trust• Gower Society• H B Allen Charitable Trust• Hamamelis Trust• Helen Gillman’s Trust• Hemby Charitable Trust• Herefordshire Community Fund• High Weald Landscape Trust• Hugh Fraser Foundation• Ian Addison Charitable Trust• J H F Green Trust• J Patston Charitable Trust• John Coates Charitable Trust• John Spedan Lewis Foundation• Laspen Trust• Leggett Charitable Trust• Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust• Margaret Murdoch Charitable Trust• Miss K M Harbinson’s

Charitable Trust• Mrs M A Lascelles Charitable Trust• Naturesave Trust• New Grove Trust• Norman & Evelyn Proffitt Trust• Pamela Matthews Charitable Trust• Percy Hedley 1990 Trust• Peter and Sheila Gosden

Charitable Trust• Rainford Trust• Robert Kiln Charitable Trust• Rowlands Trust• Sandra Charitable Trust• Seven Pillars of Wisdom Trust• Spear Charitable Trust• St Mary’s Charity• Stuart Heath Charitable Settlement• Sylvia and Colin Shepherd

Charitable Trust• Tay Charitable Trust• William Dean Trust• Woodward Charitable Trust

Many thanks also go to our loyal members and all our volunteers for their valued support.

plantlife 25th year annual review · plantlife 25th year annual review 3 photograph ©robin...

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