CONSERVATION
Seascapes and water voles
Great things come to those who wait, so we were delighted to have funding granted by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for two exciting new projects that have been in development for some time now and which you may have already read about in previous editions of Wildlife Durham. The Naturally Native Project, and the Tyne to Tees Shores and Seas - SeaScapes Partnership, are both ground-breaking in their own right, and the Trust is looking forward to commencing delivery on both in January 2021.
Tyne to Tees Shores and Seas – SeaScapes Partnership Led by the Heritage Coast, and developed from an idea put forward by Durham Wildlife Trust, this will be the UK’s first marine Landscape Partnership Scheme. The total funding awarded to the partnership from National Lottery Heritage Fund is £2.78m, with the Trust receiving £386,500 to deliver their part of this ambitious project. Durham Wildlife Trust will be hosting the Intertidal Interaction Officer on behalf of the partnership, engaging local communities to enjoy the coast and get involved in marine conservation. From marine giants, like the Minke whale, to migrating herring shoals, great forests of kelp, starfish, and sea slugs, the Tyne to Tees seascape supports an amazing wealth of marine and terrestrial wildlife, although few people are aware of the variety of life along the coastline or beneath the surface.
Mark Dinning
Head of Conservation
Through a range of activities and citizen science initiatives, the Durham Wildlife Trust officer will help communities learn more about the wildlife around them. From Beach Tots discovering the small world of the rock pool, to accessing the knowledge gathered by the birders who have closely monitored this stretch of coast for decades. What happens now? The SeaScapes scheme now has a Project Manager in post, and the Durham Wildlife Trust Intertidal Interaction Officer will be recruited before the end of 2020. This multi-million pound initiative will then run for four years, delivering around 23 projects across South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham, and Hartlepool. Project partners, including the local councils and the National Trust, as well as Durham Wildlife Trust, will then be improving access to beaches, exploring shipwrecks and habitats beneath the waves, improving biological recording through citizen science, constructing a coastal conservation centre, tackling marine litter, and creating opportunities for local people and visitors to enjoy being by, on, and in the sea.
Naturally Native After a year of development that resulted in successfully securing more than £500,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Durham Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce the start of Naturally Native project delivery. Durham will be working closely with the Northumberland and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts, and acting as lead partner for the project. Water vole numbers suffered a dramatic decline in the late 20th century and, sadly, that trend continues today. In the North East, loss of habitat has resulted in water vole populations becoming isolated. These populations are vulnerable to local extinction, particularly when faced with the second major cause of decline – predation from non-native American mink.
14 | WILDLIFE DURHAM WINTER 2020
