Funding to protect lemurs and eagles

WILDLIFE and habitats from Madagascar's lemurs and the cloud forest of St Helena are among those receiving a share of £35 million in UK conservation funding.

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The latest round of the Government's Darwin Initiative and Darwin Plus programmes will fund more than 80 local projects across 36 developing countries and 12 UK Overseas Territories.

Funding will go to restore natural systems and protect nature, secure food and water supplies and improve lives, the Environment Department (Defra) said.

Projects which are receiving funding include an investment in Bolivian forests which aims to protect up to 1.5 million hectares of forest and prevent the loss of 200,000 hectares as well as generate new income for indigenous communities and secure water supplies.