26 September 2008

Rubbish taxes are good for wildlife
Money which comes from tax on the waste we throw away will be responsible for an extra £1 million being spent on conservation by the RSPB across the UK – with two nature reserves on the Lincolnshire Wash set to benefit.
The grant will pay for improving around 950 hectares of dwindling historic grazing marshes, an area almost three and half times the size of the City of London.
Biffaward, a multi-million pound environmental fund, which uses landfill tax credits donated by Biffa Waste Services, has given the RSPB the grant to help conservation projects right across the country.
This is the third largest funding award the RSPB has ever received from a Landfill Communities Fund scheme.
The RSPB is using the money at 13 nature reserves to protect and manage grazing marshes. Two of these are Freiston Shore and Frampton Marsh near Boston in Lincolnshire.
The funding from Biffaward funding will allow the RSPB to:

• purchase a tractor and topper – enabling reserve staff to improve and create coastal and floodplain grazing marsh habitat at both Freiston Shore and Frampton Marsh
• install two new sluices at Freiston Shore to help control water levels for wintering waterbirds and breeding waders
• slub out 1.5 kilometres of poorly functioning ditches at Freiston Shore.
• install ‘tear-drop’ shapes to foot-drains using a laser guided rotary ditcher at Freiston Shore to increase their value for breeding waders
• Undertake wet grassland surveying.

 
This work will help to improve conditions for wintering water birds, breeding wading birds such as lapwings and redshanks and boost habitats for water voles.
 
This project, to enhance 30 hectares of coastal and floodplain grazing marsh at Frampton Marsh and 70 hectares at Freiston Shore, is part of a bigger push by the RSPB to protect a natural habitat identified as a priority in national Biodiversity Actions Plans (BAPs). The work contributes to UK and local BAP targets to keep the existing habitat extent (300,000 hectares) and to maintain the quality of existing habitat.
Over the last 60 years there have been substantial losses in the size and quality of this important wildlife habitat. Grazing marsh has decreased by an estimated 40 per cent since the 1930s. As well as wading birds like lapwing and snipe, they are also vital habitats for numerous mammals, insects, rare plants, reptiles and amphibians.
Kim Gutteridge, from the RSPB’s headquarters, said: “The grant from Biffaward is very significant. Almost a million pounds in one grant will allow us to do 13 exciting projects to help our threatened grazing mashes and give something back to the environment.”
Gillian French, Biffaward’s Programme Manager, added: “The natural environment is important to all our lives. When the RSPB proposed this programme of work, we could see what an impact it would have on biodiversity. We were delighted to award a grant which will benefit wildlife right across the UK.”
Some of the RSPB’s most exciting and ambitious wildlife projects have been supported under long-term funding agreements through organisations such as Biffaward.
The Landfill Communities Scheme recycles tax money from landfill waste to environmental projects around landfill sites and far beyond.
All 13 projects that will benefit from this latest grant are within 10 miles of a landfill site.