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Rare bees and voles to benefit from nature strategy

Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire
Getty Images A grey water vole, which looks like a mouse, is chewing on a piece of green plant while inside a rusty pipe which is covered in moss. It is surrounded by vegetation.Getty Images
New sites could be found to reintroduce water voles under the strategy

Rare species of bees, voles and dormice are among the creatures earmarked for protection in a new environmental plan.

North Northamptonshire Council is only the second in the country to publish a nature recovery strategy, which is now required by law.

The plan also involves restoring and protecting wetlands and woodlands.

The council said it would help create a "thriving natural environment that supports wildlife [and] improves our quality of life".

The Environment Act 2021 requires nature recovery strategies to be created for every part of England.

The plans have to include a map of local habitats and a statement of "biodiversity priorities" for the area.

North Northamptonshire Council has become the first in its region and the second in the country to publish its strategy.

Getty Images Hazel dormouse, light brown in colour with two large eyes and prominent ears. It is chewing on a dark brown nut while surrounded by vegetation.Getty Images
The strategy proposes helping the hazel dormouse thrive by providing nest boxes

Several species have been identified as needing special protection, including the hazel dormouse, which could be encouraged to thrive by the use of nest boxes and reintroducing or relocating the animals.

Bex Cartwright / Bumblebee Conservation Trust Largely black bee with orange pollen basket at the back. It has landed on a white flower surrounded by green leaves.Bex Cartwright / Bumblebee Conservation Trust
The strategy suggests connecting habitats together to help the rare red-shanked carder bumblebee

Mink populations could be controlled or even eradicated to allow the reintroduction of water voles, and grassland could be connected to other habitat to support the rare red-shanked carder bee.

Dr Richard Cormont, from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said: "The red-shanked carder bumblebee is a species which has declined for decades and is now thinly spread across southern England and Wales.

"So it's great to see a large-scale grasslands-focused approach which will be key for the species in the county."

Getty Images Curlew with a small head, a large black and brown body and very long beak. It has long thin legs standing in blue-coloured water alongside black rocks.Getty Images
The curlew could be supported by providing less disturbed habitat for the bird

With a third of the area's woodland currently unmanaged, one of the priorities is connecting and expanding woodland to create "a mosaic of habitats that support a range of species".

Landowners are being told the strategy is not about "telling people what to do"- it aims to provide options for land use.

Ben Schofield/BBC Helen Harrison with light-coloured hair tied back and large blue glasses wearing a dark coat and standing next to a large lake surrounded by treesBen Schofield/BBC
Helen Harrison from the council said the strategy was about "joined up, collaborative action"

John Torlesse, the deputy director of Natural England's West Anglia team, said: "Congratulations to North Northamptonshire Council and all those organisations and people who have been involved in creating this strategy.

"We now need to get behind its delivery, and Natural England is committed to doing all it can to support that."

Helen Harrison, the council's executive member for green environment, said: "This strategy is about joined up, collaborative action.

"Together, we can achieve a thriving natural environment that supports wildlife, improves our quality of life, and contributes to the global fight against biodiversity loss."

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