Wildlife Trust launches appeal amid warning farmland species are 'on the brink'
BBOWT is looking to raise £70,000 to work with farmers and offer advice on how to use more nature-friendly methods
A local wildlife charity has launched a £70,000 appeal to help reverse the decline of birds, bees and butterflies across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) hopes the fundraising campaign will support farmers to adopt more nature-friendly practices and restore habitats across the countryside.
Scott Brown, BBOWT's Land and Farm Advice Service Manager, warned that without action, future generations could miss out on experiencing the wildlife that once filled the countryside.
He said: "We've already lost most of it. We're recognised as one of the most nature depleted countries in the world."
He added: "We really are on the brink of losing many species and lots of things have already gone, but the opportunity is there to bring it back."
Farmland wildlife has suffered significant declines in recent decades, with farmland bird populations falling by 63% since 1970. Meanwhile, half of Britain's 27 bumblebee species are also in decline.
Mr Brown said the losses had been "really quite catastrophic", with decades of agricultural intensification contributing to the problem.
He said: "We've lost huge areas of habitat, habitat that's left is in poor condition and the wildlife that's clinging on there has gone down significantly in numbers."
The Trust is encouraging practices such as reducing chemical use, improving soil health, restoring grassland around fields and creating sheltered areas for wildlife.
However, Mr Brown said there was reason to be optimistic, with growing enthusiasm among farmers to make changes.
"There's a real appetite to do more," he said, explaining that BBOWT works with more than 15 farmer clusters representing around 450 farms across the three counties.
He added: "We won't really start to see nature recover until there's more connectivity between different farms across the landscape."
The £70,000 appeal forms part of BBOWT's wider £3 million Nature Recovery Fund, launched in 2023.
BBOWT Chief Executive Estelle Bailey MBE said farmland makes up 68% of the three counties, adding that the Trust wanted future generations to experience a countryside "filled with life".