Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust joins national campaign to kickstart nature's recovery
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust hope to raise £30million as part of national goal
Gloucestershire joins other Wildlife Trusts to launch £30 million appeal to kickstart nature’s recovery across 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Today, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has joined with the Wildlife Trusts around the UK to launch 30 by 30, a public appeal to raise £30 million to start putting nature into recovery across at least 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Nature has suffered serious declines for decades with 26% of UK mammals in danger of disappearing altogether and hedgehogs, red squirrels, bats, turtle doves, cuckoo, water voles and basking sharks all at risk
Over the last century, many of the flower rich grasslands of the Cotswolds have been lost and traditional orchards that used to cover the Severn Vale are largely gone.
A huge concern is the collapse in the abundance of nature, particularly of insects, meaning that many of our ecosystems are not functioning as they should.
Lack of large wild places and fragmentation of those that remain has had a disastrous effect. That’s why The Wildlife Trusts recently called on Government to introduce a new landscape designation for England called ‘Wildbelt.’
This would be for the purpose of putting land into nature’s recovery, such as through the creation of wildlife corridors, natural regeneration of woodland, recreation of wetlands, and rewilding.
Roger Mortlock, CEO of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust said:
“With our partner Wildlife Trusts around the UK, we’ve set ourselves an ambitious goal – to raise £30 million and kickstart the process of securing at least 30% of land and sea in nature’s recovery by 2030.
“We will buy land to expand and join-up our nature reserves; we’ll work with others to show how to bring wildlife back to their land, and we’re calling for nature’s recovery through a new package of policy measures including big new ideas like Wildbelt.
“Less than 10% of land is currently designated for wildlife in the UK – and around half of that land is in poor condition. We’ve still got a mountain to climb to reach 30% of land supporting nature’s recovery.
Liz Bonnin, science and natural history broadcaster and ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts says:
“We know that the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and we’re facing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Put plainly, our wildlife is disappearing and at an alarming rate.
"Some of our most-loved species are threatened. We’re talking about hedgehogs, barn owls and red squirrels – not the exotic wildlife we think of when we talk about extinction.
"The Wildlife Trusts have an audacious plan to raise £30 million to heal at least 30% of our land and sea for nature so it can recover by 2030. We can all help them make it happen.”