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5 November 2025
One of Britain’s rarest and most endangered orchids has been brought back from the brink of extinction thanks to the pioneering work of Plantlife botanists and conservation partners.
Fen Orchid Liparis loeselii a diminutive and achingly rare wild orchid that flowers fleetingly in fens and sand dunes – is officially no longer considered threatened in Great Britain*. The historic ‘downgrading’ is thought to mark one of only a handful of plants that have been inched off the GB Red List due to conservation action since the system was introduced in 1977.
The news represents the culmination of decades of painstaking conservation efforts to better understand the plant’s ecology, safeguard existing plants, and then boost populations.
Tim Pankhurst, former Conservation Manager at Plantlife, dedicated his life’s work to protect Fen Orchids before retiring in April 2025. He said: “Playing a leading role in reducing the threat status of such a beautiful yet mercurial orchid is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a botanist and one I will always treasure. As we face the enormous challenges of climate and biodiversity loss, this provides a moment of genuine hope for the future and is testament to what dedicated partnership conservation work delivered consistently over many decades can deliver.”
Drainage and abandonment of fens has been the main cause of Fen Orchids decline but past collection by orchid enthusiasts also played a part. By 2010 Fen Orchid was reported to grow wild at just three locations in East Anglia and one dunes site in Kenfig, Wales, numbering no more than 1,000 plants in total. Fears were it would entirely disappear from the British landscape, especially as it is a sensitive species that requires quite particular conditions including damp alkaline soils and bare ground.
Plantlife has led efforts to save the plant since 2008 and has, with partners, pursued a multi-pronged conservation strategy; a cornerstone of success has been the decades of work by the Wildlife Trusts, caring for the remaining plants and restoring former sites to suitable condition; this has enabled reintroductions to become a key part in the conservation success story.
Locations now total 7 in England and 3 in Wales, with the population in Britain currently greater than 10,000 individuals. The plant is in marked decline across Europe, with populations shrinking throughout much of its range. Management work continues to protect Fen Orchid and maintain populations.
Peter Stroh, Scientific Officer at the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and lead author of the new GB Red List, said: “The positive revision to Fen Orchid’s threat status in Britain is excellent news, and is a result of targeted conservation actions arising from a combination of scientific research, ex situ and in situ experimentation, regular monitoring and the commitment and knowledge of ecologists from many different organisations, most notably Tim Pankhurst at Plantlife. However, it’s important to remember that Fen Orchid remains a conservation-dependent species. The challenge now is to ensure that Fen Orchid continues to thrive in its current locations and, either naturally or with a helping hand, flourish in former sites and new places within its native range in the coming years”.
Peter Atkinson, Plants Records Officer at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, said: “At Cambridge University Botanic Garden, we’ve been investigating the life cycle of the Fen Orchid and successfully maintaining an ex-situ collection of plants for over a decade. Over this time, our field observations have deepened our understanding of the species, directly informing improved management of existing sites and helping wild populations increase from a few hundred to several thousand.
We’re now seeing strong, sustainable populations re-establishing in the wild – a clear sign that this kind of long-term, collaborative conservation really does work.”
Funders of, and partners in, the English Fen Orchid Conservation Strategy are Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Natural England, Butterfly Conservation, Broads Authority, Norfolk County Council, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Natural Resources Wales and Bridgend Council have spearheaded work in Wales.
ends
Notes to editors
* On the new GB Red List – BSBI 2025, Fen Orchid is now considered ‘Near Threatened’, reduced from ‘Endangered’ in 2005.
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