Welsh orchid bough back from 'brink of extinction'
The orchid was reported to grow wild in just three locations including in Kenfig
One of Britain's most endangered orchids, which was originally found in Bridgend, has been brought back following decades of conservation work, experts have said.
The "beautiful yet mercurial" fen orchid (Liparis loeselii) is no longer listed as at risk of extinction in the new Great British Red List for vascular plants, published on Wednesday - a bright spot in an otherwise "stark picture" for Britain's wild plants.
The new list, produced by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) and covering flowering plants and ferns, marks a comprehensive review of the list since it was last published in 2005.
It reveals that more than a quarter (26%) of the 1,720 native species or those introduced before 1500 AD, are threatened with extinction, falling into the critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable categories, with a further 140 listed as near threatened.
Conservation experts warned that many plants which were once widespread in the British countryside are now threatened:
Conservation experts warned that many plants which were once widespread in the British countryside are now threatened, including wildflowers such as common milkwort found in species-rich habitats, those in wetlands such as marsh-marigolds and arable field plants including rough poppy.
Arctic-alpine plants such as the endangered alpine gentian are also threatened.
"A stark picture of the state of our wild flora"
Dr Pete Stroh, BSBI scientific officer and lead author of the new list, said: "This latest revision of the GB Red List again paints a stark picture of the state of our wild flora.
"Although a few of our rarest species, such as fen orchid, have a potentially brighter future thanks to the targeted efforts of conservation organisations, and some, for example bee orchid and pyramidal orchid, are more common than they once were, many plants once widespread in our countryside have continued to decline to the point where they are now assessed as threatened."
He said the declines were linked to many factors, including more intensive agriculture, long-term neglect of landscapes, development and pollution.
The fen orchid is thought to be one of the few plants thought to have made it off the GB Red List due to conservation action since the system began in 1977, and is now listed as near threatened.
The orchid, which has particular requirements including damp alkaline soils and bare ground and flowers fleetingly in fens and sand dunes, was historically hit by drainage and abandonment of fens, as well as collecting by plant enthusiasts.
The orchid was reported to grow wild in just three locations:
By 2010, it was reported to grow wild in just three locations in East Anglia and one dunes site in Kenfig, Wales, with the species numbering no more than 1,000 plants in total.
This has enabled reintroductions of the rare orchid to more sites, and it is now found in seven locations in England and three in Wales with a population of more than 10,000 plants.
Its success is in contrast to elsewhere in Europe, where it is suffering marked decline with populations shrinking through much of its range.