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Saving Endangered Species
Reverse the Red

Throughout July, Plantlife is participating in Reverse the Red – Plants Month

What is Reverse the Red?

Reverse the Red is a global movement aimed at raising awareness of the work being done to reverse the trend of biodiversity loss and ensuring the survival of wild species and ecosystems.

The initiative brings together a coalition of scientists, advocates, and partners who use data-driven and science-based approaches to plan and act for species conservation.

The movement acknowledges and celebrates the efforts of organisations, communities, and people in protecting and restoring endangered species listed on a Red List, with the goal of reducing their vulnerability and eventually removing them from the list. Reverse the Red Website

What is a Red List?

Red lists are a globally recognised way of listing and identifying the threat of extinction to species. Species are being assessed objectively based on ongoing scientific information and ongoing research.

The world’s most comprehensive list is the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of threatened species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. There are other more localised red lists, such as the Great British Red List. 

What’s On this July 2023?

Discover some of the threatened species that we are working on and plan to protect and restore.

You can also learn about who are we are doing this with, as all the best effort in this world are done in collaboration and in partnership.

Image displayed are Plantlife plant survey at Munsary Peatlands Nature Reserve a part of Caithness & Sutherland Peatlands IPA Important Plant Area.

Restoring Fen Orchid

Restoring Fen Orchid

How Plantlife is moving one of the most endangered wildflowers in Europe off the Red Data list for Great Britain.

3 Endangered Plants in Wales

3 Endangered Plants in Wales

Some of our plants in Wales are threatened by extinction, but here are 3 species that are being brought back from the brink of extinction.

Saving Endangered Plants in Scotland
A small twinflower plant growing on a lush green woodland floor

Saving Endangered Plants in Scotland

Did you know some of our plants are threatened by extinction? Here are 3 species that are endangered in Scotland and the work that’s being done to bring them back.

New pools are being created at Greena Moor, a secluded Cornish nature reserve, for the endangered Three-lobed Water Crowfoot Ranunculus tripartitus.

The work was funded by Natural England through their Species Recovery Programme and charitable trusts including the Stuart Heath Charitable Settlement. Nature Reserves Manager Jonathan Stone  have been working to protect the ‘star’ of Greena Moor.

Three-lobed Water Crowfoot is an aquatic member of the buttercup family, the plant has small, white, starry flowers. Like most crowfoots, it has two kinds of leaves; the surface leaves are three-lobed and broad, but the underwater leaves – rarely seen with this species but seen here in this photo – are finely divided and feathery.

The plant was in only two pools

In March 2020, Three-lobed Crowfoot occupied only two small pools near the ford, covering an area of just 7m2, and it was clear that a lack of suitable shallow water bodies was preventing further spread of the species at Greena.

Cows in a field of grass by a gate in Greena Moor

Importance of Grazing

Grazing also plays an important role, helping to control competing vegetation and distributing seed. The cattle grazing at Greena appears ideal, and on the Cornish Lizard heaths Three-lobed Crowfoot has become far more common under similar management conditions.

White flowers with green leaves in a pool of water

10 New Natural Pools

The nature reserves management team have created 10 new pools to encourage more Three-lobed Crowfoot plant. We are very hopeful to seeing similar increases of this beautiful endangered plant over the coming years.

 

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