Protecting wildlife and wild places

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust carries out restoration projects all over the county to protect our special landscapes and wildlife and to ensure a wilder future for all.

From ancient woodlands and heather-clad moorlands to flower-rich meadows, flowing rivers and green open spaces, Staffordshire’s array of habitats makes it a gloriously diverse county for wildlife. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust carries out habitat restoration projects all over Staffordshire 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. A study from World Wildlife Fund in 2022 suggests the Earth’s wildlife has plummeted by almost 70 per cent in the last 50 years. And 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.

Not only do we work hard on the ground to ensure local wildlife can flourish and recover but we also have a strong educational programme to expand others knowledge about 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 on our About us page.

To date, wildlife conservation has been mainly focused on protecting small pockets of land for wildlife, such as nature reserves. While nature reserves are important refuges for wildlife, it is becoming increasingly clear that these isolated areas of habitat are not enough. We also work on a bigger landscape-scale projects too, which ensures protection of wildlife and wild places across the county.

Through our work on these projects 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 scattered across Staffordshire, many of them hidden sanctuaries for wildlife. They form a particularly important ecological network in the county, and we will work with partners and private landowners to ensure they are protected. We will also work with partners and land owners to support the management of other important habitats for wildlife, particularly where they are of national importance.

Local Wildlife Sites (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 and flourish is free to explore and live. You can read more on Staffordshire's Local Wildlife Sites here.