Estate records 'abundance' of wildlife despite drought

A small bird, which has brown and white colouring, is perched on a green wire. It has its mouth open and is looking to the left.

Image source, Mike Pennington/GeographImage caption,

Corn buntings were one of the species recorded at the Wimpole Estate

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A country house and farming estate in one of England's driest and most nature-depleted areas has an "abundance" of wildlife with more than 5,000 species recorded, the National Trust has said.

Rare species, including barbastelle bats, great crested newts and corn buntings, have been spotted at the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire in the last six years.

General manager David Hassall said the number was "remarkable in any landscape, but particularly here in Cambridgeshire, where wildlife is facing the combined pressures of habitat loss and increasingly hot, dry conditions".

The government said the East was one of seven UK areas in drought, external, with hosepipe bans in force across parts of the region.

The charity said 5,242 species were recorded across the estate's parkland, farmland, woodland and wetlands.

Hassall said the number "reflects five decades of careful stewardship and shows that nature can flourish alongside farming, public access and heritage conservation".

A large stately home is in the distance. A large field which has dry grass and hay leads to the home which is three storeys. Large green trees are surrounding the building.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption,

The National Trust said it had recorded 5,242 species at Wimpole Estate in the last six years

Since 2021, the National Trust said it had planted 125,000 trees and created 35 hectares of woodland and 52 hectares of wood pasture, with another 77 hectares of tree planting currently being designed.

Species recorded also included a tiny pygmy ant, which the charity said was recorded at only one other UK site.

Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation at the National Trust, said: "Across the UK, wildlife is under immense pressure from habitat loss and fragmentation as well as climate change, making the need to restore nature more urgent than ever.

"Places like Wimpole demonstrate the value of taking a long-term approach to nature recovery.

"By creating and restoring habitats across whole landscapes, we can provide more space for wildlife and help reverse decades of decline."

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