65 Years Wild Appeal
Together we have:
- brought some 9,000 acres of habitat under our protection, providing safe havens for thousands of wildlife species – we’ve come a long way since we purchased our first reserve, Downe Bank, back in 1962.
- returned the first beavers to Britain at Ham Fen – these amazing animals are helping to ensure the future of Kent’s last surviving fenland.
- restored the rare Adonis blue butterfly, an iconic chalk downland species and the star of the Kent Wildlife Trust logo, to Queendown Warren.
- protected more than 200 acres of internationally scarce chalk grassland – known as ‘Europe’s rainforest’ – at Lydden Temple Ewell, safeguarding this landscape for countless species including the nationally rare wart-biter cricket and supporting the reintroduction of the charismatic red-billed chough to Kent’s skies for the first time in centuries.
- introduced the first wild herd of European bison into West Blean and Thornden Woods – providing a sustainable, long-term solution to the management of this precious ancient woodland and pioneering an exciting new era of conservation.
- connected hundreds of thousands of children and young people to the wonders of the natural world – inspiring generations of nature-lovers and conservationists.
But as we reflect on how far we’ve come, we are also looking ahead to the future
From climate change and planned development to the government’s proposal to scrap more than 500 environmental laws that protect our irreplaceable natural world – the threats facing our county’s wild spaces and species are greater than ever.
Species are declining at their fastest rate for thousands of years; here in Kent we have already lost countless plants and animals and without urgent action, we’ll lose many more.
Insect numbers have declined by nearly 75% in less than 20 years, and birds like snipe and redstart no longer breed here.
Of the 3,684 species in Kent that had their UK threat status assessed, 372 were classified as being threatened with extinction from Great Britain.
In the coming years our local wild spaces might look, sound and feel very different.
But together we can reverse the decline
Whilst a lot has changed over the last 65 years, one thing hasn’t: our unshakeable commitment to protect Kent’s wildlife.
By donating to our 65 Years Wild appeal today, you’ll be helping to ensure that we are here to defend nature for the next 65 years and beyond.