Our Projects

ACHIEVING GOAL 1: DEFEND AND RESTORE

Our projects

Working together for wildlife

Our #WilderKent 2030 strategy aims to increase wildlife abundance and climate resilience across 30% of Kent's land and sea.

To achieve this, we will defend and restore with nature-based land management practices and the return of missing species, whilst giving wildlife a voice through our campaigns and communications.

With the support of various funders, partners and communities, we're working across the county on numerous projects to achieve this. By working together, we believe that we can save and restore our natural world.

There is always room for you to get involved and get up close to nature, by joining as a memberattending an event and visiting our reserves to volunteering.

Support our work

Current Projects

Bison calf and mum Wilder Blean

Donovan Wright

Project

Wilder Blean

Wilder Blean is a ground-breaking wilding project involving the introduction of European bison to an ancient woodland to restore natural ecosystem function and boost biodiversity.

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Chough

Chough © Paradise Park

Project

Chough Reintroduction

Choughs have been absent in the wild in Kent for over 200 years due to habitat loss and historical persecution. We want to return these charismatic birds to the skies of Dover.

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Bugs Matter handheld app
Project

Bugs Matter

Bugs Matter is a national citizen science survey to build a better picture of how our insect populations are doing to inform effective conservation policy and practice.

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Pine marten (Martes martes), Scotland, UK

Pine marten (Martes martes), Black Isle, Scotland, UK. July 2010. 4-5 month old kit. - Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Project

South East Pine Marten Restoration

Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, in collaboration with Sussex Wildlife Trust, are assessing the possibility of restoring pine martens to the South East of England. 

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Dover Downlands
Project

Dover Downlands Project

We are restoring Dover’s species-rich chalk downland through a collaboration between Kent Wildlife Trust and Kent Downs AONB. Working with volunteers and local land managers we aim to restore this rare and special habitat for the benefit of both people and biodiversity.

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Wild about Gardens Amanda's Garden

Jim Higham

Project

Wild About Gardens

This project aims to encourage and inspire everyone in Kent to create vital stepping stones for nature to reverse the loss of biodiversity by gardening in a nature-friendly way. 

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Bog asphodel and cotton grass plants

Image credit: Ian Rickards

Project

Precious Peatlands

We are restoring peat bog habitat at Hothfield Heathlands, which acts as a carbon store and provides essential habitat for a wide range of wildlife species that depend upon it. 

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The Great Stour at Godmersham
Project

Riversearch

We are looking for citizen scientists to monitor a section of river in the Stour catchment to collect valuable data on water quality, habitat conditions and pollution sources. 

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orchid in park gate downs

Image credit: Ian Rickards

Project

High Downs

We want to protect and restore the dramatic views and diverse wildlife and habitats of the High Downs by connecting and improving not only these wildlife rich habitats, but expanding opportunities for wildlife by working and helping neighbours, farmers and landowners throughout the project area.

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Dover Castle from Coombe Down

c) Shelagh Wright

Project

Coombe Down

We want to restore Coombe Down to a mixture of open grassy slopes with thick scrub and a woodland edge to benefit nesting birds and insects, as well as create a mosaic of habitats that will lead to a landscape more resilient to the impacts of the climate and nature crises.

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Wild flower planting in urban situation, with green-viened white butterfly, Pieris napi, Sheffield city centre - Paul Hobson

Wild flower planting in urban setting by Paul Hobson

Project

Roadside Nature Reserves

We work with a dedicated team of Voluntary Road Verge Wardens to maintain the condition of roadside verges which contain threatened habitats or wildlife.

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Past Projects

Butterfly
Past Project

The Fifth Continent

The Fifth Continent Landscape Partnership Scheme delivered a number of exciting projects based around three key themes; to Restore, Rediscover and Reclaim Romney Marsh.

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Urtecina Felina, photo by P Young

Urtecina Felina, photo by P Young

Past Project

Guardians of the Deep

This exciting project introduced the astonishing wildlife that lives around Kent’s shores to people around the county.

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Stour Estuary, Sandwich and Pegwell Bay, Richborough
Past Project

H2O:Source2Sea

We worked with the local community, landowners and businesses to restore ecosystem functions in the River Stour Catchment to lessen the impacts of climate change on our community and wildlife. 

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Shrill carder bee, photo by Rosie Earwaker

Shrill carder bee, photo by Rosie Earwaker

Past Project

Bee Roads

The Bee Roads work formed part of a wider 3-year project called ‘Making a Buzz for the Coast’. This was led by Bumblebee Conservation Trust in partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust and covered 135 miles of Kent’s coastline from Dartford to Deal.

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© Katrina Martin - 2020VISION

© Katrina Martin - 2020VISION

Past Project

Down to Earth

This project was an exciting community-focused programme in the Dover area which reconnected people with the wildlife that lives around them and improved local well-being.

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Cromers Wood Welcome
Past Project

Wooden It Be Crafty

This was an exciting 3-year project based at Cromer’s Wood in Sittingbourne to reconnect people to the crafts and skills of traditional woodland management that benefit both wildlife and people.

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A landscape with a signpost, with a sunset in the background

© Lauren Heather

Past Project

Nature's Sure Connected

Nature’s Sure Connected was a National Lottery Heritage Fund project led by Kent Wildlife Trust that developed a practical framework for evidencing landscape-scale outcomes of landscape-scale conservation.

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Dover
Past Project

Dover on the Defensive

The Project worked to conserve the ancient stonework and historic fortifications of Dover Castle while also supporting the species rich chalk grassland on the surrounding landscape. 

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Photo of chalk grassland by D. Attwood
Past Project

Grassification

Over a three-year period, Kent Wildlife Trust along with 23 partners from the UK, the Netherlands, France and Belgium researched the journey from roadside management to final manufactured products, in the process creating a business case for a circular green economy using verge clippings.

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News and Blogs

Read the latest stories about our projects.