Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) says the cash injection could help secure the future of much-loved wildlife such as water voles, nightingales, rare butterflies and reptiles.
  
The nature SOS is part of the Trust’s Nature Recovery Fund appeal, which has raised just over £400K since last autumn. This summer BBOWT is aiming to pass the half-million pound milestone to fund pioneering habitat-management projects to help species on the brink of extinction.

BBOWT launched its £3 million Nature Recovery Fund last October following the publication of the State of Nature 2023 report. It highlighted the rapid decline of UK wildlife, with one in six British species at risk of extinction. Funds raised from the appeal will support innovative projects which aim to reverse this trend and secure a future for endangered wildlife across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

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BBOWT’s Senior Ecologist, Colin Williams, said:
“Habitat loss, climate change, inappropriate development and intensive agriculture all threaten wildlife and have led to the distressing declines we are seeing across the UK – and locally in our three counties. 

“Data collected by more than 125 of our specialist volunteers shows time and again how vital our nature reserves are as refuges for wildlife. The Nature Recovery Fund will support life-saving projects to ensure our most vulnerable species have somewhere safe to live, breed and survive the winter.”

Examples of BBOWT’s innovative approach to saving nature include its ground-breaking Adder Connections project at Greenham Common in Berkshire. Two snake tunnels have been built under Old Thornford Road, after radio tracking revealed separate populations of adders were unable to cross this barrier. With adders listed as a vulnerable species, the tunnels will encourage the snakes to form a larger population, more resistant to threats such as disease.

Water voles and damselflies
The Trust also has the UK’s longest-running water vole conservation project which has seen a 78% ten-year increase in the area of activity of this endangered species.* 

Targeted habitat management at the Parsonage Moor reserve in Oxfordshire has also resulted in record numbers of endangered southern damselflies being recorded in recent years – proof that nature can bounce back.

Donations to the Nature Recovery Fund will support these existing projects as well as helping to launch pioneering new initiatives to manage crucial habitats, such as woodland for birds and butterflies. 

Birds and butterflies
White-letter hairstreak butterflies declined after Dutch Elm Disease ravaged elm populations, essential for their survival – planting disease-resistant elms would help this butterfly recover numbers in the three counties. 

The iconic song of the nightingale is heard increasingly rarely, as a decline in numbers has placed this secretive bird on the Red List under Birds of Conservation Concern. However, managing more areas of scrub and woodland could ensure future generations are able to hear its famous melody.

Estelle Bailey, Chief Executive of BBOWT, said:
“We’ve been thrilled by the levels of support the Nature Recovery Fund has received and are extremely grateful for the generosity of everyone who has donated with a vision to see more nature everywhere. 

“However, we are aware of the immense scale of action ahead of us to see water voles, nightingales, and other endangered species become a common sight – and sound – once again across our counties. With time running out and our half-a-million-pound milestone within reach, now is the time for greater ambition and to ensure that we all do our bit to bring nature back, urgently. So do please give what you can to help ensure a wilder future for all.”

BBOWT has more than 80 nature reserves, 150 staff and some 1,700 hard-working volunteers. Money raised by the Nature Recovery Fund will give the Trust the eco-boost it needs to fast-track nature’s recovery and save endangered species before it’s too late.

Colin Williams added: 
“Birds and butterflies are my passion. I like to believe their numbers will return to the abundance I remember from my childhood, but belief is nothing without action, and time is not on nature’s side. By working together we can create a greener future where nature is thriving, and birds and butterflies are found in abundance once again. We hope everyone will support our Nature Recovery Fund.”

You can do your bit to help bring nature back by giving to the Nature Recovery Fund today at www.bbowt.org.uk/SOS. You can also donate by texting RECOVERY followed by your donation amount to 70480*.

* Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from BBOWT. If you would like to donate but don't wish to hear more about BBOWT’s work, please text RECOVERYNOINFO instead.

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