Wildlife Trusts
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Wildlife Trusts is a UK network of Local Wildlife Trusts, usually based on single
or adjacent counties, or in the case of Scotland, a whole country. The Wildlife
Trusts UK Office acts as the voice for the partnership and provides central
services to the Trusts. Their outstanding
website has contact details and which also leads to sites belonging to many
of the individual Trusts. To find out about wildlife in a local area of the
UK you really should visit your local Trust's website. Tell them we sent you.
Wildlife Trusts own and manage nature reserves, sometimes quite
large and significant areas of their county. As well as rural counties, urban
areas such as Birmingham and London also have very active Wildlife Trusts.
Local Wildlife Trusts also have many other functions and activities
associated with them. These obviously vary from trust to trust, but you can
be sure that they will include a system of WATCH groups (wildlife-based activity
clubs for children); some links with County biological recording networks; contacts
for wildlife enthusiast groups such as badger groups, bat groups and other local
organisations and individuals.
Wildlife Trusts often take a lead in local biodiversity
action. There have been several very successful national, regional and local
campaigns organised by the wildlife trusts to focus attention on particular
species. Recent examples include Water Voles, and Dormice. If you have seen
one of these creatures, or think you have, and would like to report it to somebody,
your local wildlife trust is the best place to start.
The Wildlife Trusts is also known as the The Royal Society of
Wildlife Trusts, and formerly the Royal Society of Nature Conservation, although
this name is not now normally used. However, you will see reference to the RSNC
in some older literature, and so we mention it to make sure no confusion arises.
In a similar way many local Wildlife Trusts used to be called Naturalists' Trusts
or something similar.
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