Protecting wildlife and wild places

From ancient woodlands and heather-clad moorlands to flower-rich meadows, flowing rivers and green open spaces, Staffordshire’s is a gloriously diverse county for wildlife. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust carries out habitat restoration projects all over the county to encourage these special landscapes to thrive for wildlife, and to protect them so they are here for generations to come.

The work that we do has never been more crucial; nature is facing increasing threats. It's a well known fact that the UK is one of the most nature-poor countries in the world with 41 per cent of species decreasing in abundance since the 1970s.

Wild spaces and wildlife are struggling due to the increased pressures put on them; this is becoming evident even at a local level in Staffordshire, and is why protecting wildlife and wild places are at the heart of what we do.

Complementing our work on the ground, we also have a strong educational programme to help our next generation understand the importance of habitat and species conservation. We also lead projects involving landowners, farmers, councils, businesses, individuals and communities, to inspire everyone to take responsibility for their local environment.

You can find out more about our plans for wildlife and wild places by reading our strategy.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's strategy

While it's important we protect nature reserves for wildlife, we need more than these isolated pockets of habitat if we're to bring nature back at scale. That's why we also work on a big landscape-scale projects, ensuring the protection, and restoration of wildlife and wild places across the county.

We are working towards creating a Nature Recovery Network - a landscape with connected habitats that enables wildlife to move more freely. You can read more about our projects to create a more joined-up and wilder Staffordshire on our Managing the Wider Countryside page below. 

Our projects forming a wilder Staffordshire 

There are 1,383 Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) scattered across Staffordshire, many of them hidden sanctuaries for wildlife. They form a particularly important ecological network in the county, and we work with partners and private landowners to ensure they are protected. We also work with partners and landowners to support the management of other important habitats for wildlife, particularly where they are of national importance.

LWS are wildlife-rich sites selected for their local nature conservation value. They vary in shape and size and can contain important, distinctive and threatened habitats and species. Conserving them is a vital part our vision in creating a joined up network across the country where wildlife can thrive. You can read more on Staffordshire's Local Wildlife Sites here.