Nature Recovery Fund
Help us to raise £1 million for critical conservation work - together we can bring back Lincolnshire’s wildlife.
We are struck again and again in conversations with Trust members, supporters and visitors to our reserves by the difference between the nature you remember and what we have now. Most of us have heard the horrifying statistics - the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, nearly half our species are in decline and almost one in six is threatened with extinction - but nothing brings it home like personal experience. People talk to us about the cuckoos they heard without fail every spring, the clouds of butterflies and seas of wildflowers on countryside walks, the trilling display call of curlew, adders basking in early spring sunshine and bats flitting overhead at dusk, too quick and numerous to count.
Since we were founded over three-quarters of a century ago, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has saved wildlife and wild spaces across the county. We are proud of what has been achieved, and there are many species that would not exist in Lincolnshire today were it not for our work.
The headliners are the cranes bugling at Willow Tree Fen, the bitterns booming at Far Ings and the natterjack toads singing in chorus up and down the coast from Saltfleetby. However, many other species are quietly hanging on - and others are sadly slipping away.
We launched the largest and most urgent appeal in our history because nature has never needed us more. The target is ambitious but if our Nature Recovery Fund is to make a real difference before it's too late then - like our founder Ted Smith back in 1948 - we need to think bigger.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated so far.
The Nature Recovery Fund continues to grow but the demands on it are increasing. We are appealing for specific support for a number of land purchases from Deeping Lakes in the south of the county to Crowle Moor in the north, along with a memorial garden at Woodhall Spa Airfield. Please help by making a donation.
What will the money go towards?
The funds that we raise will go towards supporting four key areas of our work – nature, climate, land and people. These represent the four pillars of our work in Lincolnshire.
Nature
Nearly half of all the UK’s species are in decline and we are one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Lincolnshire is no different and our wildlife locally is under huge pressure from intensive land use.
We’ve protected natterjack toads and little terns on the coast for decades and recently saw the return of species such as bittern and crane to breed in the county again. By donating to the Nature Recovery Fund, you can support us to bring back lost species and help others to thrive once more.
Land
We know that land is one of the most important things we can buy. Over the years, our purchases and management agreements have allowed us to create nearly 100 nature reserves across the county. These reserves are now home to many of Lincolnshire's birds, mammals, insects and plants, and are the last refuges for some of our rarest and most threatened species. But our reserves need to be bigger and more robust, and we need to find ways to link them better. The Nature Recovery Fund will allow us to take advantage of opportunities to add land in a strategic way and unlock match funding from other sources.
Climate
Our climate is in crisis. Wildlife is struggling to cope with hotter drier periods and more intense storms and wetter winters. Species are already being impacted – for example, the earlier emergence of caterpillars means that migrant birds are struggling to time their breeding to match.
Lincolnshire is a diverse county with a range of habitats. Many of these, such as our saltmarshes and extensive peatlands, store huge amounts of carbon. However, many have been degraded, releasing those stores of carbon back into the atmosphere. Protecting what we have left and restoring damaged habitats so that they can lock carbon away is critical to our response to climate change.
At the same time, the fragmentation of habitats makes wildlife more susceptible to the changing climate - giving species less room to move in times of drought, flooding or fire. We need to restore and link up woodlands, wetlands and floodplains to create a wilder landscape that helps nature to adapt and thrive.
People
We all need nature for our health and wellbeing but nature needs us too. With your support, we can empower local people to help bring nature back. Our Nextdoor Nature Project has already made a fantastic start but with your help, we can expand this to help even more communities across Lincolnshire to make a difference to the wildlife on their doorstep.
At the same time, we want to enable more people to work with us towards nature’s recovery. We need to increase the number of new people coming into the sector from all backgrounds and across all areas of our work - from conservation to education to community work. The Trust has a fantastic track record in this area and with your help, we can continue to develop our traineeships to support the next generation of conservationists.
Help nature recover
