THE region is key to the survival of dozens of endangered species, according to a report released today.

The audit by Natural England, called Lost Life: England’s Lost and Threatened Species, marks International Year of Biodiversity and lists nearly 500 animals and plants across the country which have died out – practically all within the past two centuries.

A further 1,000 native species have been granted conservation priority status because of the threats facing their future.

The report, the most comprehensive of its type in recent years, shows that in the North-East there are several species that are now restricted to a single or very few sites.

These include Teesdale sandwort and Teesdale rockrose – alpine flowers which have survived in Upper Teesdale for the past 12,000 years.

These rare Ice Age survivors are now at risk from grazing and climate change.

The Tees Valley is identified as a stronghold for the dingy skipper butterfly. There are colonies of the insect throughout brownfield sites on the Tees Estuary.

Other species that call the Tees Valley home include the purple milk vetch, a member of the pea family, and water voles, which are thriving thanks to work from the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency and Middlesbrough Council.

The report also identifies nature’s North-Eastern winners, such as the red kite and grey seal, both of which are thriving in the area as the result of conservation programmes.

Nature’s regional losers include the shrill carder bee, which hasn’t been recorded in the area since 1957.

North Yorkshire has lost several species, including the stone curlew, the marsh fritillary butterfly and the lizard orchid.

Meanwhile, the corncrake is now only found at the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve, near York.

Rob Aubrook, Natural England regional director for the North-East, said: “This report is a timely reminder that we cannot take our wildlife for granted and that we all lose when biodiversity declines.

“The North-East of England still has a rich range of wildlife thanks to the variety of habitats in the region that stretch from moor to shore.

“However, with more and more of our species and habitats confined to isolated sites we need to think on a much broader geographical scale about how we can reverse the losses of the past and secure a better future for our wildlife.”