Britain plans for species protection

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LONDON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The U.K. government says large areas of land will be set aside to protect species such as red squirrels and hedgehogs to halt the loss of endangered species.

The move is part of England's Biodiversity Strategy to stop destruction of habitat and the decline in species by 2020, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

The only way to rein in the loss is to set up "a large network of ecosystems and habitats" nationally, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said.

An additional 500,000 acres of priority habitats will be created on farmland, abandoned industrial sites and in towns and cities as part of the strategy, officials said.

"This strategy sets out how we will stop the loss of species and habitats, so that this generation can be the first to leave our natural environment in a better state than they found it," Spelman said.