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 Photograph ©Robin Bell/Plantlife 2 Foreword Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 3 Conservation successes 2014-15 Over 1,000 hectares of Meirionnydd Oakwoods In Scotland, over 50 land managers were trained Important Plant Area have been mapped for lichens, at demonstration days held in coastal pasture, revealing species never before found in Wales pinewoods and Atlantic woodlands. They are able and underlining how important these temperate to draw on data gathered by our volunteer Flora rainforests are. The 18-month project saw the return Guardians through the National Biodiversity Network. of grazing and 30 land managers trained in the This year, land managers have also had access identification and management of rare lichens. to detailed information about Atlantic woodland, The project also resulted in £40,000 being injected pinewoods and oceanic heath across Scotland, Laurie Campbell into the local economy. © as well as the coastal pasture of the north coast. Partners: Landowners can use this guidance to incorporate RSPB, National Trust, Woodland Trust, Natural national conservation priorities into their own Resources Wales, Snowdonia National Park Authority, business practices. Lobaria pulmonaria) individual landowners Partners: Funded by: Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Government, • The Welsh Government’s Resilient Ecosystems Fund Scottish Natural Heritage, Bumblebee Conservation • Ashley Family Foundation Trust, RSPB Scotland Funded by: • Scottish Natural Heritage • Forestry Commission Scotland • Albert George and Nancy Caroline Youngman Trust Atlantic woodland in Scotland, tree lungwort ( 4 Conservation successes 2014-15 Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 5 Conservation successes 2014-15 ©Hans Hillewaert 3.0 - CC BY-SA (Cicendia filiformis) ©Andrew Jeffery/Plantlife ©Andrew At most of the coastal sites on the Lizard IPA, rare plants had become distant memories, (Liparis loeselii) but we’ve restored over two kilometres of heathland The Lizard, yellow centaury Fen orchid North Goonhilly Down, the Lizard ©Steve Townsend trackways and created 25 pools. We’ve cleared large areas of invasive cotoneaster Eighteen hectares of sand dune at Kenfig IPA Today, chamomile, pillwort, from Portland to help save the rare and intricate – the last-known site in Wales for fen orchid – shoreweed, three-lobed crowfoot lichens and mosses that give this landscape its have been scraped free of marram grass and and pennyroyal mint are again international importance. Early results herald the we are starting to witness the results. There are thriving, where for decades return of the white orchid autumn lady’s-tresses resurgences in populations of nationally rare they have been absent. and other native beauties such as Portland spurge, species such as knotted pearlwort, lesser water- Partners: bird’s-foot-trefoil and horseshoe vetch. In turn, plantain and shoreweed. Botanical Society of Britain these flowers attract the special butterflies Partners: and Ireland, Cornwall Wildlife of Portland, such as Adonis Blue. Natural Resources Wales, Trustees of Kenfig Trust and Natural England Partners: Corporation, Bridgend County Borough Council Funded by: Dorset Countryside (Dorset County Council), Funded by: • SITA Trust Natural England, Dorset Biodiversity Partnership, • Natural Resources Wales • Natural England Dorset Wildlife Trust • Million Ponds Project Funded by: • Esmée Fairbairn • SITA Trust • Environment Wales 6 Conservation successes 2014-15 Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 7 Plantlife is a key player in the Government’s new National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS). This Numbers of enables scientists, for the first time, to carry out an annual stock take of the UK’s wild plants and their clustered habitats, with volunteers providing evidence of which Wildflowers Count©J Williams bellflower, widespread plants are increasing or declining, as well as indicating the changing state of our habitats rare in Kent, such as grassland, fenland and even road verges. are up 7 times Over 1,100 volunteers have signed up so far, and have been supported by Plantlife with a suite of survey materials and training workshops. News from our reserves Meadow clary population Partners: Highest numbers of green- • Centre of Ecology & Hydrology grown by • Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland winged orchid and greater 5 times in butterfly orchid ever Funded by: one year at • Joint Nature Conservation Committee recorded at Joan’s Hill Farm Ranscombe Plantlife and IUCN-Mediterranean are working with Rare moss Orthotrichum Farm Reserve nine national partners on the Conserving wild acuminatum was recorded plants and habitats for people in the south and east Mediterranean (IPA Med) project. Here, at Joan’s Hill Farm – it has Highest ever groups of local volunteers are conducting not been seen in Britain numbers monitoring and conservation within more since 2009 of greater than 15 Important Plant Areas. Funded by: butterfly • MAVA Foundation orchids at Caeau Tan Over 1,100 volunteers y Bwlch have signed up to the National Plant Reserve, just Monitoring Scheme under 5,000 8 Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 9 Sixty-two new meadows, totalling 225 hectares, Partners: have been restored using Cotswolds Conservation Board, green hay and seed since 40,000 people are engaged Medway Valley Countryside the Coronation Meadows in our Save our Magnificent Partnership, National Trust Wales, Photograph ©Chris Ellery/Plantlife project was launched. Meadows project: Northumberland Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Partners • Over 1,300 people trained Somerset Wildlife Trust, Ulster The Wildlife Trusts, Rare Breeds in the skills needed to look Wildlife, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Survival Trust after meadows. • Approaching 400 farmers Funded by: Funded by: and landowners were given • Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) • Biffa Award advice on how to manage their • Natural England • CWM Community & meadows and grasslands. • Scottish Natural Heritage Environmental Fund • 129 hectares of grassland • Natural Resources Wales • A gift from Peter have been maintained. • Community Foundation of Tyne Baldwin and • 78 hectares of meadow restored. & Wear and Northumberland Lisbet Rausing Collecting green hay at Hollybed Farm Meadows, Malvern, Worcestershire, with help from Worcestershire Wildlife Trust volunteers 10 Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 11 Before... 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. After... 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. Road verge in May, Pimperne, Dorset ©Luke Morton/Plantlife Bluebell ©Bob Gibbons Same road verge in June, Pimperne, Dorset ©Luke Morton/Plantlife 12 Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 13 In 2014-15, £3 million was spent Plantlife saving and celebrating wild flowers. in numbers Here’s how we spent your money... Income Split Charitable Trusts 7% Appeals 4% Legacies 19% Membership 10% Investment income 6% Grants 47% Nature reserves 2% Other 5% Activities Cost Split Nature Reserves 4% Conservation projects 60% Advice, policy 10% and campaigns International projects 6% Outreach and education 7% Data and surveys 4% Communication 9% 14 Plantlife 25th Year Annual Review 15 Thank you... ...to our loyal supporters, who have • Worcestershire Wildlife Trust • Elmgrant Trust contributed their time and money: • Wye Valley AONB volunteers • Emily Weircroft • Adrian Darby OBE • Yorkshire Wildlife Trust • Equitable Charitable Trust • Andrew Lingham, Court Farm, • Ernest Cook Trust Upper Halling, Rochester, Kent Grant-giving organisations/ • Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust • Berkshire, Buckinghamshire partners • Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Patron: HRH The and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust • Biffa Award • Fitzmaurice Trust • Brecknock Wildlife Trust • Big Lottery Fund • Four Winds Trust Prince of Wales • Brecon Beacons National Park • Caithness & North Sutherland Fund • Garfield Weston Foundation Plantlife HQ, 14 Rollestone • Bridgend County Borough Council • EuropeAid for Macedonia • Godinton Charitable Trust • Butterfly Conservation East • Forestry Commission England • Gower Society Street, Salisbury SP1 1DX Midlands Group • Forestry Commission Scotland • H B Allen Charitable Trust 01722 342730 • Carmarthenshire County Council • GrantScape • Hamamelis Trust [email protected] • Conservatoire botanique national • Heritage Lottery Fund • Helen Gillman’s Trust de Bailleul • Highland Council Landfill • Hemby Charitable Trust Plantlife Scotland, Stirling • Conservatoire d’espaces naturels Communities Fund • Herefordshire Community Fund 01786 478509 du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais • INTERREG IVA France (Channel) • High Weald Landscape Trust [email protected] • Conway County Borough Council – England European cross-border