Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

The Trust was founded in 1961 and was then named the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation.[5] Founder members included Sir Peter Scott, Christopher Cadbury and a group of other local people with the shared interest of nature conservation.[6] The name was changed to the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in 1991. In 1990 Lady Scott became the Trust's patron succeeding her late husband, Sir Peter Scott. Originally the Trust headquarters was at Church House, Standish, which was opened in 1971. By that year 33 nature reserves were under trust management. In 1989 Prince of Wales was present at the launch of the appeal for funding for the proposed new nature centre, which was held in Shire Hall, Gloucester. In 1992 a new headquarters and Conservation Centre was opened at Robinswood Hill Country Park by Sir David Attenborough. In 1993 Sir Henry Elwes became the President following the late Lord Dulverton. In 1995 Prince of Wales visited the Midger SSSI reserve, being one of the woodland reserves in the county. In 1997 Prince of Wales opened the Lower Woods SSSI Nature Reserve. In 1999 Chris Packham launched an event on Cleeve Common[7] hosted by the Trust, which involved geological work at Rolling Bank Quarry SSSI.[8] In 2004 a Special 10-year award from 'Investors in People' was achieved. In 2008 the Badgeworth SSSI nature reserve, the first reserve managed by the Trust, celebrated its 75th anniversary. In 2012 this reserve celebrated its 50th anniversary of being managed by the Trust.

In December 2014, Ellie Harrison the host of Countryfile became President of the Trust taking over from Sir Henry Elwes.[9]

The Trust's work includes recording and studying places and objects of natural interest and establishing nature reserves. It undertakes research in the natural sciences, and provides educational material for the public in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. It operates a schools' programme for over 2,000 children each year. It campaigns for wildlife and protection of threatened habitats and species. It holds events at its headquarters or on its reserves. It is involved in recycling, waste management and promoting sustainable practices. It advises landowners and local authorities.

The Trust publishes a regular printed magazine to keep people informed, and maintains a subscription list for a regular electronic newsletter. The printed magazine was 'Highly Commended' in the BBC Wildlife Magazine Awards for the Best UK Environmental Charity Publications in 1997.[10]

Gloucestershire is varied in scenery due to the geology. It is also a mainly agricultural county and can be divided into four distinct regions being: the Cotswolds; The Severn Vale; Over Severn and the Forest of Dean.[11] The areas include woodlands, grasslands, heathlands, scrub, standing water, marshes, bogs, floodlands, estuaries.

The Trust has over 60 reserves throughout Gloucestershire, covering some 866 hectares or more.[12] The Trust issued a reserves handbook in 1979, which has been updated at intervals[13] with a supporting publication for 2009/2010[14] and for 2011 for the 50th Anniversary of the Trust.[15] These reserves are either purchased or managed under agreement. The value of these reserves in respect of special and rare species is defined through national standards, and particularly through Natural England, which sets thresholds for 'favourable condition' status. Management Plans must be written for all nature reserves. The Trust's reserves are listed below[16] and include Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs):

Elliot SSSI (Swift's Hill) nature reserve

Greystones Farm nature reserve (including Salmonsbury Meadows SSSI)

Bird Hide at Coombe Hill nature reserve

Badgeworth buttercup flowering in reserve

Gateway and path, Lower Woods nature Reserve

Woorgreen's Lake, Forest of Dean nature reserve

Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records (GCER) is the county's Local Record Centre and holds data about the county's wildlife. GCER has approximately 1,000,000 species records in its database, many of these are supplied by the county recorders from the Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society.[31] The data are made publicly available. The Centre is managed by the Trust. In March 2011 the Trust and the Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records published its 'State of the Natural Environment Report' on behalf of the Gloucestershire Environmental Partnership (authors: Dr C Studholme, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust; Linda Moore, Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records).[32] In 2012 the Trust published its report on the 'State of the Environment in Gloucestershire' about brownfield land.[33]

Gloucestershire has a Biodiversity Action Plan ("BAP") controlled by the Gloucestershire Biodiversity Partnership, which sets out conservation priorities in Gloucestershire.[34] The Gloucestershire BAP is the local county interpretation of the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan (1992–2012). The Trust is a member of this Partnership together with a wide range of organisations.[35]

The Nature Map for Gloucestershire was launched in March 2008 by the Gloucestershire Biodiversity Partnership. The Gloucestershire Nature Map is part of a larger map covering the whole of the south west region. It locates the major habitats in the county, identifies the 'hotspots' where they still exist, and thus where they can best be created, enhanced, or restored to establish larger and more viable areas to sustain wildlife for the future. These target areas are called Strategic Nature Areas (SNAs) and the aim is to restore up to 60% of each SNA to good quality wildlife habitat.

A Wildlife Sites network currently includes over some 800 sites in the county,[36] which are considered the best places for wildlife to develop. These sites are in addition to Trust nature reserves. This list is maintained by the Trust.

A Living Landscape is a recovery plan for nature.[37] This work has been in the national The Wildlife Trusts programme since 2006.

The Gloucestershire Trust part of the programme has been the initiation of the Living Landscape project in the Severn Vale (2007),[38] the Cotswolds Rivers project (2009) and a project centred on the Forest of Dean (2011).[39]

• Dowdeswell Reservoir and Wood[40]

Water voles – A nationally threatened species[41] once common on rivers and streams. In Gloucestershire water voles have disappeared from the river systems and a few fragmented populations survive. The Trust provides information to identify a water vole and the land management necessary to support habitat.[42] The water vole is on the list for action in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The Trust carried out a survey in 1978/79 on rivers and streams in the county. A further survey was started in March 1997 in conjunction with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The Trust published the results of the 1997/98 survey in 2001.[43] This is reported in the Biodiversity Action Plan for Gloucestershire.[44]

• List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire[45]

• Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
• The Wildlife Trusts
• The South West Wildlife Trusts
• Natural England