Wilder Kent Blog

The Making Space for Nature Project is leading on Kent and Medway’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). A team has been in place since October, engaging with stakeholders about nature recovery plans for Kent's future.

The county of Kent is blessed with an extensive coastal and intertidal environment comprising elements of the eastern Thames Estuary, the southern North Sea and the English Channel. In north-east Kent, located between the towns of Whitstable and Deal, is the North East Kent Marine Protected Area (NEKMPA) which includes the previously designated North East Kent European Marine Site, the Thanet Coast Marine Conservation Zone and Sandwich & Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve.

The annual pinnacle of Kent Wildlife Trust’s ‘Wilder Volunteering Recognition Programme’ is the Wilder Kent Volunteer Awards that we are proud to host in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust.

In the last fifty years, both nightingales and turtle doves have suffered a population decline of over 90%. The usual threats of habitat degradation and climate change are partly to blame, but these two species are also at risk from a few more specific challenges.

For those of you reading this, many will feel disheartened by the fact that nature and wildlife were barely mentioned during the election campaign and debates. However, the result of the election did suggest that green issues are starting to take hold.

Almost three years of RiverSearch citizen scientists collecting data on the health of Kent's rivers and streams has been collated in this report. Find out how our rivers measure up in nitrates, phosphates and turbidity.

So much has happened since joining Kent Wildlife Trust as a Volunteer Trainee Warden on 3 July 2023. My life has done a complete 360 (for the better, I should add!). 8 months ago, I was working as a Graphic Designer leading a very lone existence in my small study at home or making the very sad commute to a grey, industrial, business park on the Medway estate. But now?... my life is surrounded by the calming colours of nature and days are spent either shadowing 2 Estate Wardens, helping out on task days, on training courses, completing wildlife surveys or attending study days.

Our volunteers are at the heart of Kent Wildlife Trust’s work. With their time, skills, passion and energy we reach more people and work at greater scale and pace. Their contributions help ensure that Kent’s natural spaces are preserved for future generations. Through practical conservation work, data collection, education, community engagement and much much more, our volunteers are making a tangible difference.