TWO projects at North-East nature reserves have been shortlisted for a national award.

The ambitious development of a wetland at the Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, near Houghton-le-Spring, and the creation of a new habitat for wading birds at Portrack Marsh nature reserve on Teesside have both been shortlisted for the 2013 Biffa Awards.

The annual awards recognise people who have tried to improve the environment through Biffa Award-funded projects.

Both are on a four-strong shortlist in the Rebuilding Biodiversity category, with the winner of the £2,000 prize to be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham in September.

Durham Wildlife Trust was awarded a grant of just over £49,000 under the Biffa Award scheme towards Project Snipe, which created a wet grassland at the Rainton Meadows reserve. The grassland provides breeding and roosting habitats for waders such as snipe and curlew and new islands to provide predator-free nesting sites for great crested grebe and little grebe, common tern and cormorant.

The Portrack Waders project, run by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, received a £20,000 Biffa Award to extend the nature reserve near Stockton by ten hectares.

The extension created new habitats for wading birds such as the ringed plover, lapwing, snipe, curlew and redshank, as well as offering a helping hand to other species such as otters and butterflies such as dingy skipper and grayling.

Gillian French, Biffa Award Programme Manager, said: "Every year Biffa Award organises a special celebration to recognise and reward the people behind the outstanding projects we fund.

"All of our projects are run by people who work hard to bring communities together and make a lasting difference to their local areas and the environment, so to be shortlisted for an award is a tremendous achievement."