A new project aimed at protecting threatened Dartmoor invertebrates has recently received funding from the National Lottery.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded Buglife, a charity dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates, £64,079 in development funding to enable organisers to further design the Moor Invertebrates project, which aims to protect eight rare species of Dartmoor invertebrates.

Laura Krusin, Buglife conservation officer, said: “Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players, local communities will be able to get involved in this exciting project through survey training, bug hunts, creative workshops, and more. The project will deliver events such as insect identification workshops to increase the knowledge of local people and help them feel more connected to the rare invertebrate species on their doorstep, helping to inspire the next generation of entomologists.”

Parts of Dartmoor National Park have been designated as an Important Invertebrate Area (IIA), as they support several rare invertebrates at risk of extinction in the UK. For many species, such as the Blue Ground Beetle (carabus intricatus) and the Lichen Running Spider (philodromus margaritatus), Dartmoor is a particularly important habitat. In some cases, the moor is the last remaining place in the UK where species, such as the Bog Hoverfly (eristalis cryptarum), can still be found.

Buglife is the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates. Its aim is to halt the extinction of invertebrate species and to achieve sustainable populations of invertebrates. The charity was established in December 2000 as The Invertebrate Conservation Trust but was renamed Buglife in May 2002. In 2023, Buglife founder Alan Stubbs received an MBE for services to nature conservation.

For more information, visit buglife.org.uk