Fundraiser launched to protect Herts woodland

A fundraiser has been launched to buy Astonbury Wood near Stevenage.

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have launched a fundraiser to buy Astonbury Wood in Hertfordshire.

Astonbury Wood, is a 54-acre ancient woodland was put up for sale last year, prompting concern among the local community who petitioned the County Council to protect the site.

A designated Local Wildlife Site, the woodland has existed since the 1600s and provides a rich wildlife habitat.

Josh Kubale from the HMWT says its important we protect areas like Astonbury Wood:

"These woodland are centuries old, they are completely irrespaceable.

"Things like HS2 have had a real impact on the number of ancient woodlands in the south of England already so we see something like Astonbury wood as a place we should fight to protect.

"Lockdown has really shown us the importance of the green spaces around us and I think there is absolutely more of an appreciation for these spaces.

"Astonbury is an absolutely wonderful place to visit and it is treasured by the local community and we want to keep it as a place people can go to enjoy.

"A trip to the cinema could easily cost £15/£20 or you could donate to the appeal and be able to visit this incredible woods for years, decades, centuries to come."

In Hertfordshire, one-fifth of the wildlife assessed in Hertfordshire’s State of Nature Report, published by the Trust in 2020, is currently either locally extinct or threatened with extinction.

Habitat loss and fragmentation have sent populations plummeting.

The report concludes that at least 30% of land must be protected for wildlife in order to combat the ecological and climate crisis.