We place caring for Gloucestershire’s wildlife at the heart of everything we do. We have begun a new fundraising campaign to urge people to donate what they can so that vital conservation work continues.

Threats faced on a daily basis by Gloucestershire’s picturesque countryside includes intensive agriculture, aggressive urbanisation, climate change and pollution. Wide open grassy spaces and leafy green woodlands, home to childhood memories of kite flying, tree-climbing and long family walks, are being ruined. Treasured creatures that call the county home, such as hedgehogs, barn owls and bumblebees, are struggling to survive and could be lost forever.

Gloucestershire, like the UK generally, is now one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Over the past 70 years, 56% of the UK’s plants, animals, insects and fungi have declined, and 1 in 10 species are now threatened by extinction.

“The way we live our lives is sending shock waves through the natural world around us. We already know how fragile the environment can be. Now we’re seeing the true reality of it. Will your childhood wood be here in twenty years’ time? In ten? At the moment, I couldn’t guarantee it” comments Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

What’s more, the devastating effects of ash dieback, a disease fatal to ash trees, have ravaged areas of woodland across the county.

Ash trees are widespread in Gloucestershire and are often found in woodlands such as Lower Woods, a nature reserve cared for by the Trust near Wotton-under-Edge. One of the largest ancient woodlands in the south-west of England, Lower Woods could lose up to 70% of its trees to ash dieback, threatening the habitat of 12 species of bird, 55 mammals such as bats and dormice and 239 invertebrates.

However, we are fighting back, and hope to encourage the people of Gloucestershire to join us in protecting the county’s wild places. Dedicated teams are growing oak and other species of tree to be planted in places like Lower Woods, to help to fill the gaps in the woodland’s canopy resulting from ash tree losses, and saving the delicate ecosystems where wildlife flourishes. 

“Whilst we hold out hope that a solution can be found to save our ash trees, we have to prepare for the worst” says Dr Gareth Parry, Director of Conservation at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. “We need to ensure that there is a long-term future for our ancient woodlands”.

Additionally, every day staff and volunteers carry out painstaking work to protect wildlife for the future, not just across the land the Trust cares for, but by working in partnership with landowners and within urban areas. Building Hedgehog routes in local towns, removing invasive plant species which threaten to smother native plants, carefully trimming woodland trees back using ancient practices such as coppicing to let in valuable sunlight, encouraging wildflowers and dormice to thrive.

Donations to this new appeal could help to save the county’s wild places from the brink of disaster. Even the smallest donation could help to fund gloves and tools for teams of conservation volunteers, activities to help local children re-connect with the outside world and learn how they can help to care for the environment, as well as bird boxes to provide a home for declining species like barn owls.

To find out more about the appeal and to donate, visit https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/save-our-special-places

We work closely with local communities, landowners and partners to deliver much-needed conservation work across 60 nature reserves, and within the wider landscapes of the county. This vital work encourages wildlife to thrive, including wildflowers, trees, butterflies, insects and animals.

We also deliver a vast range of events and projects across the county, as well as providing free public access to GWT nature reserves, enabling people from all backgrounds to spend time outdoors and get closer to nature.