CHESTER ZOO will receive almost £1 million to help build the first phase of a 10-mile 'nature recovery corridor' which will stretch from Chester to Ellesmere Port.
Ninety charities around Britain have been boosted by £40 million in Government grants to create 2,500 jobs and plant one million trees, as part of the second Green Recovery Challenge Fund across 600 sites.
Red fox seen on camera trap at Chester Zoo Nature Reserve.
Chester Zoo has been awarded £990,500 to create a 10-mile nature recovery corridor. The corridor will cover restoration of wetlands, traditional orchards, hedgerows, grasslands and wildflower meadows.
Stretching from Chester to Ellesmere Port, the Nature Recovery Corridor will see Chester Zoo, in collaboration with partners across the region, restoring a network of wildlife-rich habitat and contributing to the recovery of severely declining species in need of urgent help.
Hedgehogs have been spotted by conservationists monitoring threatened wildlife at Chester Zoo's Nature Reserve.
Conservation experts say communities will be empowered with the passion, knowledge and skills to make long-lasting improvements to the Cheshire countryside that will flourish for generations to come.
The project will be inclusive, hands on and will provide access to nature for some of the most deprived areas in Cheshire West and Chester, providing opportunities for youth traineeships and a community volunteer programme.
The first phase of the ambitious project, focused on a 6.5-mile stretch running from the zoo’s nature reserve through Chester city centre to Lache in the south west of the city, has been awarded a £990,500 grant.
Finches are just one of the UK's diverse species that the zoo is helping to encourage back into communities.
Dr Simon Dowell, Science Director at Chester Zoo, said: “Chester Zoo is making transformative change to prevent extinction. Our new Nature Recovery Corridor will empower people to create safe spaces for UK wildlife, through collaboration and action.
“This grant will enable us to create more environmental jobs, demonstrating the value of green recovery in Cheshire, nurture a new generation of conservationists through funded traineeships, and allow wide-ranging local communities to connect with, and enjoy, wildlife.
“As the world faces a biodiversity crisis, the role of large charity zoos like ours in securing a future for wildlife on our planet is ever more vital. With one million species at risk of extinction, including many here in the UK, never has there been a more pressing time to stand together for nature.”
Bumblebees are in decline across the UK - with three species already extinct.
The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is a key part of the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan to kick-start nature recovery and tackle climate change.
The fund is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission.
Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow, said: “The diverse and ambitious projects being awarded funding today will help environmental organisations employ more people to work on tree-planting, nature restoration and crucially, help more of the public to access and enjoy the outdoors.”
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