Danielle MalgwiSouth East
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Surrey Wildlife Trust has launched a new fundraising drive to help bring back local wildlife, including hedgehogs, frogs and toads.
The trust is aiming to raise £40K to help it increase its work with the public to create and connect wildlife-rich gardens, streets and public spaces.
This will help once-common species like swifts return to neighbourhoods, as well as help mammals and pollinators move safely across habitats to find food and shelter.
"Due to poorly-planned development, the overuse of pesticides and the practice of creating sterile and lifeless outdoor spaces, wildlife is now disappearing and people are becoming disconnected from nature." said Surrey Wildlife Trust's Claire Harris.
Focusing on residential areas in the county including Farnham, Guildford and Dorking, the trust plans to take steps including:
- Investing in education and youth action so the next generation understands how to help wildlife at home
- Helping communities, schools and landowners to build, fund and maintain habitats themselves
- Inspiring local people to adopt wildlife-friendly practices incorporating hedgehog highways, nesting opportunities and insect-rich planting
- Training people to take part in citizen science, feeding back data through simple population surveys and species recording
In a 2017 report carried out by Surrey Wildlife Trust, it was revealed that a third of Surrey's species were in serious decline, with some- like the wryneck and pine marten- already extinct in the county.
"Within living memory, our streets, parks and gardens were alive with buzzing insects, hopping frogs, singing birds and bustling hedgehogs," Harris said.
"If more people work with us to help wildlife, we'll bring the joys and benefits nature provides back to our daily lives."
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