We are in the midst of a climate and nature emergency. In England’s 5th most populous county, Kent Wildlife Trust acts as the bastion for our wild spaces and species. Intensive management of grasslands has led to the loss of species, like turtle dove and skylark in many areas and we face an ‘insect apocalypse’. Our waterways and wetland habitats are also suffering – wetlands are effective carbon stores, but are being destroyed faster than any other ecosystem. We need to act now.

At Queendown Warren we’ll promote the return of turtle dove, skylark and key butterflies by creating species-rich grassland, new hedgerows and a pond, then adopting a Wildling approach – introducing grazing pigs to manage habitat alongside sheep, cattle and horses. In the Lower Stour we’ll further demonstrate the impact of wilding to enrich wetland ecosystems, introducing water buffalo as ecosystem engineers to manage Kent’s last remaining ancient fenland, and monitoring the benefits of beaver.