Portland in Peril gets cash to prevent invasive species
A project to stop rare wildlife being
destroyed by invasive plant species has been launched in Dorset.
Dorset
Wildlife Trust has been given £850,000 for its Portland in Peril scheme to
tackle the spread of species such as cotoneaster and giant buddleja.
The
plants crowd out habitat used by butterflies like the common blue, adonis blue
and chalk hill blue.
The money
was awarded by Viridor Credits which distributes funds from the landfill tax.
John
Clode from the trust said it was important to remove the cotoneaster which
"grew like a carpet" across the rocks, displacing the natural
limestone grassland.