Over 350 threatened species to benefit from record investment: how to apply
The Species Recovery Programme represents the largest single government investment in threatened wildlife recovery in England's history. Natural England is distributing £60 million across 130 projects over three years, with an additional £30 million ring-fenced for species recovery on the national forest estate, bringing the total government commitment to £90 million. If your organisation works on threatened species conservation in England, this is the programme to understand right now.
Who should apply
The programme is restricted to projects operating within England, delivered on behalf of Defra by Natural England. The data on formal eligibility criteria is limited, but the organisations already funded give a clear picture of the expected applicant profile: conservation charities, wildlife trusts, zoos and aquariums (particularly BIAZA members), research institutions, universities, local authorities, and community conservation groups.
The stage fit skews towards scale-mature organisations. That does not mean you need a large headcount, but it does mean you need a track record. The funded cohort includes the Zoological Society of London, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, and Species Recovery Trust. These are organisations with demonstrated delivery capability, monitoring infrastructure, and existing relationships with the species and habitats they work on.
If your organisation is an early-stage conservation nonprofit without a delivery track record, this round is probably not the right fit. Consider building that track record through smaller Heritage Lottery Fund or Esmée Fairbairn grants first, then positioning for Species Recovery Programme funding in a future round.
Geographic scope is England only. Projects on the national forest estate may access the separate £30 million allocation, though that strand appears to be managed differently. If your work sits in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, check NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales, or DAERA respectively.
For full eligibility detail, go directly to Natural England's official programme page. The Raise Lens listing at /grants/bfa3f7da-e622-48ac-a9ae-724b61f713fd links out to the source documentation.
What they are looking for
The programme is built around three strategic objectives: halting the decline in species abundance by 2030 and reducing species extinction risk by 2042, both legal targets under the Environmental Improvement Plan. Every project funded needs to connect credibly to one of those targets.
Species focus: Your project must target one or more of the 364 threatened species identified by Natural England. The list spans birds, beetles, moths, mammals, spiders, snails, sharks, and seahorses. A strong application is specific: it names the species, explains the pressures driving decline, and articulates why the proposed intervention addresses those pressures directly.
Intervention type: The programme funds research into the causes of species decline, habitat improvement, captive breeding, species reintroductions, and conservation translocations. Each of these requires a different kind of evidence base in your application. If you are proposing a reintroduction, for example, expect to demonstrate site suitability assessments, genetic sourcing protocols, and post-release monitoring plans. If you are proposing habitat restoration, the case needs to show why the habitat improvement will translate into measurable species recovery, not just habitat condition improvement.
Conservation outcomes and metrics: The requirement for "clear conservation outcomes and species recovery metrics" is doing real work here. Funders at this scale do not accept vague output counts. A strong application will specify baseline population data, target population thresholds, monitoring methodology, and the frequency and format of reporting. If your organisation does not have existing monitoring protocols for the target species, partnering with a university or research institution that does is worth considering before you apply.
Farmed landscapes and public engagement: The programme explicitly values projects that support farmers and land managers alongside food production, and that engage new and diverse audiences. If your project touches agricultural land or includes a public engagement component (zoo programming, school outreach, community science), make that connection explicit rather than treating it as background context.
Ex-situ programmes: Native Species Recovery Hubs are being led by BIAZA zoos and aquariums for 16 rare invertebrate species. If your organisation is a BIAZA member or a close partner of one, there may be a consortium route into this strand worth exploring directly with Natural England.
How to apply
The data does not include a formal application deadline or a specified submission format for this round. The programme was announced on 8 July 2026 as part of the 'Wild Again: Restoring England's Wildlife' initiative. It is possible that some or all of the 130 project slots announced are already committed, and that the next funding round has not yet opened. Before investing significant preparation time, contact Natural England directly to confirm whether applications are currently being accepted and what the timeline looks like.
That said, here is how to prepare:
Step 1: Confirm your species is on the list. Natural England publishes the list of 364 targeted species. Cross-reference your work against it before anything else. If your primary species is not listed, your application will not advance regardless of how strong the rest of it is.
Step 2: Build your species recovery case. This is the core of the application. You need baseline data on current population status, a clear analysis of the causes of decline, a description of the intervention (habitat work, captive breeding, translocation, research), and a monitoring framework that connects your activities to measurable recovery outcomes. If gaps exist in your baseline data, address them before applying or build baseline work into the project scope.
Step 3: Prepare your organisational track record. Assemble evidence of previous species recovery delivery: past project reports, outcomes data, partnerships with Natural England or other statutory bodies, and any relevant species-specific expertise. The funded organisations listed suggest Natural England favours applicants with existing relationships and demonstrated capacity.
Step 4: Identify partnership opportunities. If your organisation is strong on practical delivery but lighter on research or monitoring capability, consider a formal partnership with a university or research institution. Conversely, if you are a research body, partnering with a delivery organisation on the ground strengthens the application.
Step 5: Contact Natural England. Given the programme is in active delivery and the announcement has already been made, a direct conversation with the relevant Natural England programme officer is the most efficient way to understand whether there is an open application window, what format is required, and whether your proposed project fits within current priorities.
Use this in Raise Lens
Start by saving the opportunity so you do not lose track of it: open the detail page for this grant, save it to a watchlist, and set a deadline alert so that if a formal closing date is added to the listing, you will be notified without having to check manually.
From the /opportunities feed, filter by the biodiversity and nature sector to surface similar live grants and tenders running in parallel. Several funders active in threatened species recovery post opportunities with shorter turnarounds than the Species Recovery Programme, and having a pipeline of alternatives matters if this round is already fully committed.
Use the /funders directory to research Natural England's wider funding activity and to find other statutory and philanthropic funders backing species recovery and habitat restoration work in England. Understanding a funder's full portfolio before applying helps you pitch your project in language that fits their stated priorities.
Follow the /wire briefings to track new announcements from Defra, Natural England, and related funders. The 'Wild Again' initiative is likely to generate further funding rounds and policy signals over the coming months, and being ahead of those announcements is useful when your preparation timeline is already running.
The Species Recovery Programme is a significant opportunity for any organisation doing serious threatened species work in England. The scale of the commitment and the breadth of species covered means there is genuine room for a range of project types, from small community conservation groups to established research institutions. The key is specificity: a targeted, evidence-based proposal focused on a named species with a credible recovery pathway will outperform a broad, landscape-level pitch every time. Review the full listing and save your place at /grants/bfa3f7da-e622-48ac-a9ae-724b61f713fd.