Overview

• On June 11, conservationists released 11 female New Forest cicadas captured in northern France into a purpose-built enclosure at Paultons Park near the species’ former habitats.
• Several insects are already pregnant and depositing eggs on raspberry canes and hazel saplings in the specialised habitat.
• The Species Recovery Trust plans further imports from France and is studying cicada populations in Slovenia to guide breeding and release strategies.
• Project managers will monitor a four-year underground nymph phase and expect to know by 2029 whether the population can establish itself.
• Researchers believe warming climate conditions could enhance the cicadas’ chances of survival compared with the past decline caused by land management changes.