The goal to inspire and collaborate recognises that we as an organisation, cannot achieve restoration of nature alone. To reach ours and the governments 30x30 target, we need to be more ambitious than an internal mindset.
We are seeking more partnerships, collaboration, and innovation across the conservation sector so that we can protect what we have left, but more importantly so that we can restore and create more wild spaces - so that we can go further.
Just think about what we could achieve as a county if 25% of residents were taking action for nature. If we joined more community groups, signed petitions, voted or gardened with wildlife in mind and made more climate friendly purchasing choices.
We know that through the pandemic, access to nature and clean air was essential. People discovered what was outside their front doorstep and realised how much it matters. We reconnected with the natural world and now we have the opportunity to build on this momentum and make a real difference for our future and the future of our children.
So how do we take someone from simply feeding their garden birds to becoming part of a wider community momentum that we’re trying to build? We want a county full of people who are ready to challenge decision makers, take control of their local landscapes and work with their neighbours. Communities are stronger than we are and can have a far greater impact.
People leading the way
We already have some great examples of community groups that are leading the way. Take our Farmer Clusters. Farmer cluster officers at Kent Wildlife Trust are working with landowners and tenant farmers to understand what is important to them on their farms and on their land. By linking them up with their neighbours, together, they have been developing landscape scale conservation projects on top of their food production. They’re taking the lead and saying what’s important to them and we are helping them find funding sources and get access to resources but they are leading the way!
The Nextdoor Nature project in Dover is another great example of what we’re doing in the local community. We’re working with groups to understand what’s important to them but also helping to empower them so that they can be part of the decision-making process around their green spaces. We’re guiding them and helping to empower them to challenge and ask decision makers. And with their help, we’re about to reintroduce the chough, a symbol of the local area and something they can be proud of.
Wild About Gardens are volunteers from across the county that have come together to influence and encourage wildlife friendly gardening practices. They’re not an authoritative presence that says whether or not you SHOULD do something, they’re friendly and kind people who have a lot of experience and are on hand to help. Their goal is to help encourage more wildlife friendly gardening practices with the mindset that every small action by a gardener adds up to create huge changes in our landscape.
Our planning and policy team have recently set up the Kent Planning Network for Nature which is a forum for residents of Kent who are concerned by local development. We’ve joined up with the RSPB, BugLife and the Woodland Trust to create this platform so that we can create a more wildlife friendly planning system. As we can’t oppose every planning decision, the Kent Planning Network for Nature is a useful resource for residents who want to oppose decisions or ask questions to experts. It can also bring people together who want to create a campaign to oppose a development.
Marden residents have joined together to create the Marden Wildlife Group. Together, enthusiasts have been recording wildlife and helping each other conserve it. One of their great successes is having the country’s most abundant turtle dove population with a successful ringing programme that has just added new juveniles and a couple of tagged adults! The header image of this blog, captured by Darren Nicholls, shows resident ornithologist Ray Morris hard at work ringing and recording birds.
How do I get involved?
Community organising is like a domino effect, once you’ve convinced a few, it gets less hard to convince the masses. Successful projects like the one’s I’ve mentioned above are becoming a template for future projects in other areas. Don’t be afraid to talk to your neighbours, get in touch with us or your local council and join Kent Planning Network for Nature.
For people who need a bit more guidance, we are working on creating a whole toolkit of resources as part of our Wilder Kent 2030 strategy. These resources will help give people the confidence to create their own community groups, start their own campaigns and make their own wilder landscapes.
The future is unpredictable and weighs heavily on our shoulders but by working together, we can make more of an impact and create a more positive vision for a wilder tomorrow.