Ep. 026: What have the Wildlife Trusts ever done for us?

·47 min·3 clips

The Wildlife Trusts have about 900,000 members, 39,000 volunteers, and 2,600 nature reserves.

1. Wilder Podcast episode 26 focuses on the Wildlife Trusts, James Hitchcock, and Radnorshire Wildlife Trust’s work in Wales. 2. James Hitchcock is the CEO of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, and Tom and Chloe say his work on Wilder Pentoyne Farm shaped their decision to bring pigs onto the project. 3. The episode asks what the Wildlife Trusts are for, how they operate in Wales, and whether they are prepared for the next decade of environmental change. 4. James describes the Wildlife Trusts as a federated movement of 46 separate trusts with their own finances and governance. 5. He says the movement has a UK office, a Wildlife Trust Wales team, and common articles of association and objectives. 6. James traces the organisation’s roots to Charles Ruschild and says local volunteers and staff built many of the early wildlife trusts. 7. He gives the scale of the network as about 900,000 members, 39,000 volunteers, and 2,600 nature reserves. 8. James says 60% of the UK population lives within three miles of a wildlife trust nature reserve. 9. In Wales, he says the five wildlife trusts had 213 nature reserves, more than 30,000 volunteers, and just over 4,000 hectares of land in 2022-23. 10. He uses Skoma, Kemling Bay, Gilfach Nature Reserve, Abercamelow Bog, and Wilder Pentoyne Farm as examples of the range of sites. 11. James says the Wildlife Trusts’ first strategic goal is 30% of land managed for nature by 2030, which he links to COP15. 12. He says the second goal is one in four people taking action for nature, because 25% marks a tipping point in social science. 13. He says the third goal is net zero by 2030, with nature-based solutions doing part of that work. 14. James explains that the trusts advise landowners because they cannot and should not buy all the land needed to reach 30%. 15. He says the Radnorshire team includes around 14 staff now, with project officers working on community engagement and landowner advice. 16. He gives the River Lug catchment as an example, where the Wild and Lug project is talking to landowners about natural flood management and wetland creation. 17. James says Wales has a higher nature baseline than some parts of England and is better placed for a green economy and a nature-led economy. 18. He points to the Well-being of Future Generations Act and the 20 mile an hour speed limit as examples of Welsh policy using long-term thinking. 19. The tone is reflective and policy-led, with long explanatory answers, local examples, and repeated references to community, landowners, and members. 20. Listeners interested in Welsh conservation policy, land management, and rewilding will get the most from it, while people wanting fast-paced storytelling may skip it.

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