Norfolk project is reviving rare large marsh grasshopper

The Hop of Hope initiative is one of 63 projects across the country which were awarded grants under Natural England's Species Recovery Programme.

Led by rewilding and conservation social enterprise Citizen Zoo, the Norfolk project aims to restore the large marsh grasshopper, one of the UK's rarest, which was last seen in East Anglia in 1968 before its recent reintroductions.

More than 5,000 grasshoppers have been released across four Norfolk sites since 2018, and the pilot release site now "appears to have an established and self-sustaining population" of more than 550 individuals in 2023.

The project team, which also includes Norfolk Wildlife Trust, now hopes to replicate this success on further wetland sites across the county.  

Lucas Ruzo, chief executive of Citizen Zoo, said: "We are so excited to have received funding to continue our Hop of Hope Project.

"With over 5,000 individual large marsh grasshoppers now back into four sites across Norfolk, this funding will enable us to release onto further sites in the county.  

"Our pilot release site has a self-sustaining population, ensuring the species' long-term survival in Norfolk. This is all thanks to our dedicated team, partners and our Citizen Keepers, who work tirelessly over the summer months to home-rear grasshoppers ahead of their release.

"After a successful fifth year of releases, we look forward to planning ahead for 2024, which stands to be another landmark year as we seek to release onto a further two sites in the Norfolk Broads." 

Natural England said "extreme pressures" from habitat fragmentation, climate change and invasive species have created huge nature declines, with average species abundance falling by 52pc. 

The funding will support nationwide efforts to "fine-tune habitat conditions" for rare species, and actions such as propagation, captive rearing, translocations and research to find the best approaches to enable endangered wildlife to survive and thrive.