SOMERSET Wildlife Trust has launched a critical appeal to raise funds to care for its nature reserves.
Donations to the annual Nature Reserves Fund Appeal, which has raised over £160,000 since 2016, go towards the care and protection of the sites.
The charity looks after 68 nature reserves across Somerset, which include ancient woodland, flower-rich meadows and precious wetland, habitats that have become increasingly rare in the wider countryside.
They are home to vulnerable species such as the once-extinct large blue butterfly, the dormouse, Bechstein’s bat and great crested newt.
The reserves also play a vital role in Somerset’s Nature Recovery Network, acting as core, nature-rich sites from which wildlife can spread into the wider landscape.
But the cost of looking after the nature reserves rises every year and is currently estimated to be £2,600 a day to maintain and improve wildlife habitats, repair fences for conservation grazing, deal with the impacts of diseases such as ash dieback and for work needed to ensure visitors are safe and able to enjoy the fantastic wildlife.
Since the Nature Reserves Fund was established in 2016, agri-environment funding has decreased by almost a quarter. While the trust received £470,000 in grants last year, it spent £866,000 on their management and preservation.
This year, with the costs of equipment, fuel, and materials increasing at the fastest rate in 40 years, the charity is depending on the fund to fill its funding gap and ensure it can continue looking after these special sites that so many species rely on.
Rachael Fickweiler, head of nature reserves at Somerset Wildlife Trust, said: “The Nature Reserves Fund appeal raises vital funds needed to care for and maintain our county’s beautiful nature reserves, some of the most precious sites for wildlife in Somerset.
"We know things are difficult for people financially at the moment, but we ask that people give what they can to ensure we can all continue to connect to and value these special places long into the future.
"Every donation makes a crucial difference to our ability to maintain these special sites, which are not only beautiful places but most importantly safeguard a significant range of rare plants and animals.”
To donate, CLICK HERE or call Zoe on 01823 652429.
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