The Nottinghamshire Nature Reserves Fund needs your help .

Thank you to everyone who has generously donated so far to help secure a healthy future for our Nature Reserves. We may have reached our target of £15k however the costs of maintaing our reserves will always continue. Any further donations will be just as greatly received and will continue to be used wherever the need is greatest.

Our nature reserves are more important than ever before due to the depletion of our meadows, hedgerows and ancient woodland resulting from the many pressures facing our wonderful county. This is not just impacting biodiversity in our precious landscape, it is also leading to a dramatic decline in bioabundance the sheer volume of smaller species such as insects, so crucial to sustaining life further up the food chain. Each of our nature reserves is a community of species which rely upon each other to thrive.

Successes such as reversing the fortunes for species like the otter and barn owl pale into insignificance in the face of the challenges which lie ahead. The future of Nottinghamshires Wildlife is dependent upon the abundance of many smaller creatures, often less visible, species that each play vital roles in sustaining healthy ecosystems. Only by continuing to care for and enhancing our nature reserves with these unsung heroes in mind can we ensure our reserves are the truly species rich habitats that are so important to all of us.

It is often the simple tasks such as regularly cutting back invasive scrub at reserves such as Rainworth Heath in Sherwood Forest or Glebe Field at Attenborough Nature Reserve that allow insects and spiders to expand their populations thus enabling other wildlife to thrive.

The financial cost of maintaining the right balance is high. Large scale reserves such as Idle Valley and the extended Skylarks Nature Reserve present real challenges and our reserves team and the many volunteers who help them need the equipment and resources to complete their intensive, year round work programme. Continued funds are vital if we are to keep our natural systems strong.

Please support us in the work we do to ensure that these unsung heroes are given a safe home and that our reserves remain havens for both wildlife and people.

Donations, large or small will make a real difference.