Natural England: Protected species and habitats

Natural England’s species recovery programme, which helps to protect species like the dormouse, seeks to reverse the declines in England’s animals, plants and fungi. During the last century, the dormouse has become extinct from half of its former range in England due to the isolation and loss of suitable woodland habitat Photograph: George McCarthy/Corbis

The red squirrel is also protected by the species recovery programme, which began work in 1991 on 13 species Photograph: Don McPhee/Guardian

Today, with an annual budget of over £1.2m, some 400 species like the skylark are helped by the programme Photograph: Tony Hamblin/Frank Lane Picture Agency/Corbis

A further 250 species, including the corn bunting, have been identified as being in need of recovery work Photograph: Roger Tidman/Corbis

Over the last century, habitats for species like the spotted flycatcher have become both diminished in size and fragmented as a result of farming practices, the growth of urban and industrial areas and transport networks Photograph: Eric and David Hosking/Corbis

The cirl bunting was once fairly common across southern Britain, but by 1989 its population had plummeted to just over 250 birds, restricted to south Devon. In 1995 Natural England teamed up with the RSPB to promote sympathetic farmland management, which helped the population to recover to 900 birds by 1998. Work is continuing to boost numbers further Photograph: Roger Tidman/Corbis

Changes in farming practices saw the song thrush population decline by 55% between 1970 and 1998. Different crop rotation has meant the loss of important bare earth for foraging in the spring and winter, so the birds are less able to find suitable feeding habitats throughout the year Photograph: Rex Features

Many species, like the otter, are also included under Natural England's biodiversity action plan Photograph: Oxford Scientific/Photolibrary/Getty

The water vole was once a familiar sight on waterways and ponds throughout England, but has suffered one of the most catastrophic declines of any British mammal this century and its widespread survival is now seriously threatened. This decline has been most rapid in the last 30 years, and a recent survey showed that the species has been lost from almost 90% of the sites where it lived earlier this century Photograph: David Kjaer/Nature Picture Library/Rex Features

The southern emerald damselfly is a rare species which has been recognised as vulnerable by UK conservation agencies. In 1980 this species was declared as "probably extinct" because of habitat loss and pollution, but in 1983 the species was rediscovered in Essex Photograph: Bernard Castelein/Nature Picture Library/Rex Features

The mole cricket, which may be close to extinction in England, has a distinctive call. Its decline has been attributed to the loss of its favourite habitat - damp but well-drained margins of wetland Photograph: Philippe Blanchot/Sunset/Rex Features

The stag beetle is Britain's largest and most striking beetle and part of the species recovery programme. Stag beetles like to live in decaying logs and tree stumps which are often ‘tidied up’ by woodland and park authorities, destroying their habitat Photograph: Volkmar Brockhaus/zefa/Corbis

The pipistrelle bat is Britain's smallest bat. the decline in pipistrelle numbers is thought to be due to modern agricultural practices. The bats' reliance on buildings for roosting makes them vulnerable to renovation work and toxic timber treatment chemicals Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Rex Features

The greater horseshoe bat is one of Britain's rarest bats, with a total population of perhaps only 5,000 individuals. Numbers have declined significantly throughout northern Europe during this century and, in Britain, probably only 14 populations now survive in roosts in south-western England and south Wales Photograph: Andrew Cooper/Nature Picture Library/Rex Features

The starfruit, found in ponds, is so named because of the distinctive fruits this plant bears which appear as six-sided stars. During the 20th century, the plant has declined considerably and by 1980 it was known to be in only one pond. After work to conserve its habitat, the starfruit has been rediscovered in more than half a dozen ponds in Surrey and Buckinghamshire Photograph: Mediaficient/Rex Features

There are 15 arable plants on the UK biodiversity action plan priority list, including the cornflower. Changes in arable farming have made many plants, like the cornflower, extremely rare throughout Europe, and some have already become extinct Photograph: Frank Krahmer/zefa/Corbis

The Isles of Scilly, designated as an area of “outstanding natural beauty” form an archipelago of more than 200 low-lying granite islands and rocks off the south-west coast of England. The islands, which are of international nature conservation importance because of breeding seabirds, waved maritime heath and the marine environment, could be threatened by funding cuts to maintain and improve areas of outstanding natural beauty Photograph: The Travel Library/Rex Features

Funding cuts to Natural England would take away money to maintain and improve areas of "outstanding natural beauty" like the Cotswolds Photograph: Peter Adams/Getty

The Derbyshire Dales are one of 215 National nature reserves (NNRs) in England covering over 87,900 hectares, from Lindisfarne in Northumberland to The Lizard in Cornwall. They could become neglected if £2m of funding to enhance the NNRs were to be cut Photograph: Andrew Aiken/Rex Features

Natural England may also lose £4m of funding to improve Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) like Buttermere in the Lake District. SSSIs cover around 7% of England’s land area and over half of these sites, by area, are internationally important for their wildlife Photograph: Simon Murray/Papilio/Corbis