WE have joined other wildlife trusts to launch £30 million appeal to kickstart nature’s recovery across 30% of land and sea by 2030

It is called the 30 by 30 appeal.

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.

Gloucestershire has amazing untapped potential to expand, enhance and create wildlife-rich habitats, and Wildbelt could kick-start this.

GWT CEO Roger Mortlock said: “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.

30 by 30 asks individuals, corporates and communities to donate at wildlifetrusts.org/30-30-30. Join our Big Wild Walk fundraiser, October 26 to November 1

Go to wildlifetrusts.org/big-wild-walk