5,242 species and counting: wildlife is thriving on one Cambridgeshire estate

More than 5,000 wildlife species — 5,242 at the latest count — have now been recorded at the National Trust's Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire, one of England's driest and most nature-depleted counties. Rare barbastelle bats, great crested newts, corn buntings and hundreds of wildflowers share the 2,500-acre estate with a working organic farm. Since 2021, about 125,000 trees have been planted as woodlands, wetlands and grasslands were restored. As the Trust marks 50 years caring for Wimpole, manager David Hassall says the results show nature can flourish alongside farming, tourism and heritage.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: institutional program