Project aims to protect rare arctic-alpine plants
The three year scheme is awarded £65,000 to collect seeds and plant them in the fells.
A project to safeguard rare arctic-alpine plants will commence, with the Teesdale Special Flora Research and Conservation Trust receiving a £65,000 grant for a three-year conservation initiative. Volunteers will collaborate with the trust to gather seeds and cultivate them on the fells of Upper Teesdale. Dr Margaret Bradshaw, the trust's founder, emphasized the importance of raising awareness regarding the fragility of unique flora in the region.
Additional funding of £15,000 is being sought to bolster the project. The North Pennines National Landscape awarded the grant from the government's Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, recognizing Upper Teesdale's exceptional concentration of rare plant species. These include the Teesdale Assemblage, a unique community of 20 rare and endangered arctic-alpine plants that have persisted since shortly after the last glaciation, between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago.
Sarah Tooze, the programme manager for natural heritage at the North Pennines National Landscape, expressed enthusiasm for working with local farmers to support these delicate species.
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