Past Projects - Working for Nature

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust undertook restoration project at the nature reserves that are part of Cotswold Water Park, a wildlife haven near Cirencester. This work was carried out in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Naturesave Trust and with support from Hanson and a generous major donor.

The project aimed to enhance the biodiversity and engagement features at Whelford Pools nature reserve Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Roundhouse Lake SSSI through habitat restoration works, while also making improvements to the car park and wheelchair access to the first bird hide at Whelford Pools and the local interpretation.

Working with Western Power Distribution, Cory Environmental Trust in Britain and the South Gloucestershire Council's Chase Area Forum, we delivered the Lower Woods Rides and More project. Lower Woods was transformed into a multi-use space, enabling us to engage with the surrounding community at scale.

Our approach was to develop and implement a holistic and sustainable project which is improving people’s understanding and appreciation of wildlife and green spaces whilst giving them the skills and knowledge to undertake activities to help improve and conserve wild places and wildlife.

The project restored and opened up areas of Lower Woods for the benefit of people and wildlife by restoring ancient rides and coppices, replaced dormouse boxes, installed cameras for monitoring dormice and deer, and provided green woodworking and outdoor education facilities and courses for unemployed adults and young people.

Four projects made up the Foresters Forest project: Forest Explorers, Community study group, Conservation grazing and Deans Marvellous Meadows.

Forest Explorers

Forest Explorers was jointly run by GWT and the RSPB in the Forest of Dean. Its aim was to provide fun, educational activities for families once a month covering a wide range of heritage subjects linked to the Foresters Forest programme.

Session subjects ranged from migratory fish to free mining, dippers, bats and butterflies, ancient runes and languages, forest boundary stones, iron smelting and reptiles. The sessions taught children and adults about the importance of the species, habitats, and heritage of the Forest, and help to engender a sense of wonder and respect for the natural world and the forest around them.

Community (Wildlife) study group

The Community or Wildlife Study Group is made up of volunteers from all the different biodiversity projects which form the Foresters Forest. Local people were offered opportunities to learn more about the Forests wildlife and to gain the survey and monitoring skills required to assist in the longer term monitoring of habitats and species. As well as gaining a wider understanding and appreciation of the wildlife found in the forest, volunteers also enjoyed meeting other like minded people, and getting out to parts of the forest they hadn't visited before.

The long term goal was to form a self-sustaining group of local volunteers with a range of skills and knowledge to assist in the ongoing survey and monitoring of the health of the forests species and habitats. This data helped to inform forest management and planning as well as to identify trends and changes.

Deans Marvellous Meadows

Partnered with the volunteer-led Dean Meadows Group, the project sets out to inspire and advise on the, often small, remnant wildflower meadows found around the periphery of the Forest of Dean. It included walks and talks in open meadows events, enabling meadows owners and enthusiasts to visit each others meadows and share experiences and ideas, encouraging a sense of community and support.

Conservation grazing

Find out more about conservation grazing

In the Forest of Dean, GWT work closely with Forestry England, the main landowner, on a number of projects including the Forest Waters Project. This project is focused on ways in which the forest’s four main watercourses, the Cannop, Cinderford, Blackpool and Greathough Brooks, can be enhanced for biodiversity, water quality, public amenity and other ecosystem services and to reduce flood risk.

GWT were involved in the creation of Catchment Management Plans (CMPs) for each of the four main watercourses which are in the process of being finalised and published. Delivering the interventions set out within the CMP’s has now passed to Forestry England, with GWT, the Environment Agency and Gloucestershire County Council acting as critical friends on the project steering group to ensure opportunities for multiple benefits are realised and that the work forms part of a wider catchment strategy.

The work is integrally linked with Forestry Commission’s ‘Our Shared Forest’ vision which is a new, long-term strategy to achieve a vibrant and sustainable forest where natural processes work to maintain healthy ecosystems for people and wildlife.

The white-clawed crayfish is the UK’s only native freshwater crayfish that was once common and widespread in English and Welsh rivers and streams. However, since the 1970s the population has severely declined due to human activities.

The translocation project looking into creating ark sites to help safeguard the long-term survival of white-clawed crayfish across their UK range.

Discover more about the project