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Kent Wildlife Trust : the largest active conservation charity in Kent

Saving the Garden of England

Visitor centres and reserves
  • © Kent Wildlife Trust
    Woodland - Ray Lewis
  • © Kent Wildlife Trust
    Shoresearch - Bryony Chapman
  • © Kent Wildlife Trust
    Beavers at Ham Fen

The Trust has five visitor centres and 59 nature reserves managing  well over 3,000 hectares of land for wildlife. The Trust also has an active network of seven local groups. Kent Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts, a network of 47 independent Wildlife Trusts, the fastest growing environmental movement in the UK.



Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve

O.S Map 188 TQ520565: Nr Sevenoaks
Post code: TN13 3DH

Within easy reach of London and just a stones throw from the M25 and M26 motorways, you will be surprised by the peace and tranquility that the lakes and woodland walks at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve have to offer. As you step away from the Jeffery Harrison Visitor Centre  it is incredibly easy to leave the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind you.

The reserve covers some 55 hectares, and is comprised of roughly equal proportions of water and land. It includes five lakes and a mixed habitat of ponds, seasonally flooded pools, reedbed, and woodland. A spectacular array of birds reside within this special sanctuary and the different habitats support diverse communites of plants, fungi and animals. To date well over two thousand species of flora and fauna have been identified here and more are regularly added to the list - wildlife enthusiasts of all levels will find something to delight on each visit.

Don't be fooled by appearances though, the character of the site is almost entirely man-made - all the lakes were deliberately dug and most of the trees were planted by hand to create this natural looking landscape. Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve was the first example in Britain of an commercial gravel-pit being developed, post operation, for the benefit of wildlife and nature conservation.

 

Sandwich & Pegwell Bay

The landscape is made up of a complex mosaic of habitats: inter-tidal mudflats, saltmarsh, shingle, sand dunes, ancient dune pasture, chalk cliffs, wave cut platform and coastal scrubland. It is the best remaining complex of this type in the southeast, showing a complete series of seashore habitats.

Of international importance the reserve is noted for its bird population. Please avoid disturbing resident bird life .

 

Oare Marshes

O.S Map 178 TR 013647: Nr Faversham
Postcode: ME13 OQA  

The reserve consists of over 81 hectares of grazing marsh with freshwater dykes, open water ‘scrapes’, seawall and saltmarsh.The reserve is of international importance for migratory, over-wintering and breeding wetland birds. Suitable habitat is achieved through manipulation of  water levels and livestock grazing. The reserve supports a spectacular and diverse range of wetland bird life.

 
The Wildlife Trusts