Page 11 - August 2016 WN complete final version

such as Chimney Meadows,
Gallows Bridge Farm in the
Upper Ray Meadows and Moor
Copse shows that it’s possible
to begin restoring areas and
stop the encroaching threat of
habitat loss.
Systemic change
However, if we want our
countryside to genuinely
improve there must be a
more systemic change.
Protected habitats are a tiny
fraction of our countryside;
only around 2% of Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire is protected by
law – the figure for England
as a whole is 8%. These are
the areas where Government
is focussed on action, with a
target of 95% of these sites
being well looked after
by 2020.
Most of our wildlife lies
outside these protected
sites. Just less than 7% of our
region is currently considered
to be valuable for wildlife,
supporting specialised
habitats and species. We
think there needs to be a
far greater focus on these
areas of the countryside, with
better protection for already
valuable sites together with a
commitment to increasing the
overall area. We then need to
begin linking these sites back
together.
Our aim is to make 10%
of the countryside, outside
the currently protected areas,
wildlife rich by 2030. This is
a hugely ambitious target
and we recognise it won’t be
possible in the short term. To
achieve it there will need to be
a significant change in the way
our countryside is managed.
We will be able to work with
willing landowners and
managers in some areas of the
countryside, but to achieve
the complete change that will
really make a difference to our
countryside we will need to
challenge policymakers too.
We will need to push for land
managers to be supported
for producing public goods,
including biodiversity.
August 2016
In partnership with others
Tom Beckett, the Trust’s new External Affairs Director, and Patrick Taylor our new
Director of Operations, offer an insight into how we will widen our work with others to
achieve greater gains for wildlife.
Tom: Achieving the goals laid out in the new Strategic Plan will depend on the
help of many partners. The most important of these is you, as a member and
passionate supporter. You have propelled the Trust to where it is today and I
hope you will be with us for many years to come.
My role is to help the Trust share its compelling story so we can invite others
to contribute. Developers and landowners have a big part to play but they need
convincing if they are to adopt practices that might only pay in the medium
term. Equally, we need to give businesses the opportunity to adopt a balanced
approach to people, planet and profit. Last but not least, society as a whole
needs to appreciate the work we do: decision-makers need to take action and we need more
people to join us as supporters, volunteers and members.
Patrick: The targets in the Plan are ambitious – but they need to be! I will be
supporting all the work that needs to happen behind the scenes by making
sure we are well organised and well-focused. It’s great being surrounded by
such knowledgeable and skilled people and I am confident that our expertise
and passion for the natural world will inspire others to champion wildlife too.
The Strategic Plan has received a positive response so far. I think people
realise the scale of the effort needed. We do need to be ambitious. We can’t
achieve the change that’s needed on our own so we need to reach out and
influence others. We need to find alliances and partnerships with others who
can help make positive changes. I am coming to the Wildlife Trust after a long time working in
healthcare – most recently at the mental health charity Mind – and I know how important the
natural world is for all our health and wellbeing.
Collecting green hay
at Moor Copse to
create new meadows.
Cooperation with other
landowners will be key
if we want to meet our
goals. (Andrew Cross)
Where nature could return
Studies show the areas most likely
to benefit from wildlife-friendly
management. This map shows the parts
of our three counties most suitable for
creating networks for nature.
BBOWT nature reserves
BBOWT Living Landscape
Urban area
Potential nature restoration area
Our goals
8% of land rich in wildlife by 2020
10% rich in wildlife by 2030
3 new Living Landscape schemes
11