Natur am Byth! Saving Wales' threatened species

Overview

View this page in Welsh / Cymraeg

The Natur am Byth partnership is Wales’ flagship Species Recovery programme. It unites nine environmental charities and organisations with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to deliver the country’s largest natural heritage and outreach programme to save species from extinction and reconnect people to nature.

The ten core partners are:

Natural Resources Wales (lead)
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
Bat Conservation Trust
Buglife
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Butterfly Conservation
Plantlife
Marine Conservation Society
RSPB Cymru
Vincent Wildlife Trust

Funding

Thanks to players of the National Lottery, over £4.1m from the Heritage Fund was awarded to the partnership in June 2023.

This need for investment has been recognised by Welsh Government with a commitment to Natur am Byth from the First Minister and cash funding.

The partnership has budgeted total programme costs at £8m.

NRW has contributed £1.7m and the Natur am Byth partners have secured a further £1.4m from Welsh Government, Arts Council of Wales and a number of charitable trusts, foundations and corporate donors.  These include donations from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and significant support from Welsh Government’s Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA).

Heritage

Natur am Byth partners have identified species facing the greatest threat of extinction and of particular importance to Wales informed by the Environment (Wales) Act section 7 list, in consultation with natural heritage experts across Wales and the UK.

We’ve mapped these species against themes and identified the landscapes and coastal areas to target our heritage and engagement programme.

Project names and locations

Natur am Byth shares the same partners as our sister species recovery programmes in England and Scotland – Back from the Brink  and  Species on the Edge, however our programme in Wales is unique, in that we’re integrating terrestrial and marine management issues, supporting vulnerable marine species as well as those on land and freshwater.

Our areas of focus can be seen on the map below:

Some locations represent isolated populations of species on the brink of extinction. In most of these areas we will use an integrated approach to deliver multiple benefits for rare species.

Vision and outcomes

Our 20-year vision sees a future for Wales where:

• people and wildlife flourish together in recovering habitats.
• people from all walks of life in Wales will feel that they belong in, enjoy and care for nature.
• organisations across the fabric of Welsh society will work together to care for nature and value the benefits their community get from it.
• we’ll have a resilient nature conservation, environment and land management sector that collaborates to make a bigger difference for species as part of healthy ecosystems.

As a result of our programme we will have:

• put the risks to threatened species on the agenda and shown why it matters
• demonstrated how to save our nation’s most endangered species and helped them to recover through resilient ecosystems
• inspired people in Wales from all walks of life to take action and mobilised diverse communities to care for the wildlife on their doorstep
• helped a new wave of conservation ambassadors and practitioners to emerge
• collaborated to find solutions to the most pressing issues for species conservation in Wales

How we will engage with people

To create lasting change, Natur am Byth will:

• engage communities on the rare species local to them
• promote wellbeing through connection to nature
• find the relevance of rare species to the people of Wales
• We're working with the public, engaging new audiences and creating volunteer activities we will bring species to life and increase the value that Welsh culture and language places on the natural world.

We’ll work with creative industries, delivery partners and our own small community grants scheme to ensure our programme is accessible to all, with an emphasis on inclusion and targeting communities in areas of multiple deprivation.

Project timeline

Stage 1: Programme Development - September 2021 to February 2023

Stage 2: Programme Submission - March 2023

Stage 3: Programme Delivery September 2023 to September 2027

News and Blog

• National Lottery pledges towards an ambitious £8m nature partnership
   
• Click here to read our latest blog!
   
• Sign up to our quarterly e-newsletter

Contact us

For more information, or to contact a member of the team, email naturambyth@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk