A rare grasshopper is set to make its long-awaited return to the Norfolk Broads next weekend after an absence of 85 years.
The large marsh grasshopper was last recorded in the Broads in 1939, after its populations declined due to to changing land use and habitat loss.
But now Britain’s biggest grasshopper is set to return to its former haunts after Natural England granted permission for captive-bred grasshoppers to be released in the Wheatfen Nature Reserve in Surlingham, outside Norwich.
The species has already been successfully reintroduced to sites in west Norfolk as part of the Hop of Hope project, led by the social enterprise Citizen Zoo, alongside partners Norfolk Wildlife Trust and Natural England.
This new attempt to further expand the grasshopper’s range into the Broads has been coordinated and funded by volunteer-led community organisation the South Yare Wildlife Group (SYWG). The first release is due on July 14, with a second batch planned on August 18.
Jake Zarins, part of the SYWG committee, said: "We are very lucky to have Wheatfen on our doorstep, which is an internationally-renowned example of Broadland habitat, with lots of rare species in it already.
"And we were particularly excited to get involved with this reintroduction to get more species back in their rightful place, where they are supposed to be.
"We are very aware of the excitement and interest that species reintroductions are bringing to the conservation movement across the country, so we thought this was a really good way to get involved in something that could create excitement in the local community and show what a special place we have here, and wildlife that is worth protecting."
The SYWG has been working with the Hop of Hope project team and the Ted Ellis Trust at Wheatfen for several years to assess the suitability of local sites and secure the required authorisations, said Mr Zarins.
The grasshoppers were raised by 17 local volunteers known as "Citizen Keepers" who were trained to incubate eggs and raise hungry broods of young grasshoppers in specialist heated vivariums in their homes, before they were ready for release.
Mr Zarins said it was important to involve volunteers and community groups to give people the chance to engage directly with local conservation efforts.
"The power of community and smaller groups to influence the protection and recovery of nature is really important," he added.
The project partners hope Wheatfen can be the first of many reintroduction sites across the Broads.
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