Will you help create Nottinghamshire's Wilder Wetlands?

Wetlands are vital to helping put our county’s wildlife on the road to recovery.  

We are taking urgent action to restore and enhance precious wetland habitat across Nottinghamshire so that wildlife dependent on it can thrive and our communities can enjoy them for years to come. 

Managing our Wetland reserves is no small feat. Alongside work to maintain water levels, we have the challenge of controlling the encroachment of trees and scrub in areas of reedbed and wet grassland. Without this management, we risk our wetlands drying out!

We need more space for nature. To put nature into recovery, at least 30% of our land and water needs to be made wilder. With your help, we can turn the tide on wetland habitat loss and take the lead on putting the county’s wild places into recovery. 

Taking action to transform Nottinghamshire’s wetlands

Wetlands are scarce and precious places in Nottinghamshire.  Over 60 years ago, our Trust was set up by local people to safeguard the iconic and much-loved Attenborough Nature Reserve. Saving wetlands is part of our DNA.

We now care for many of our county’s most important wetlands which provide a home to some of our county’s most iconic and threatened wildlife – giving vital refuge to wintering wildfowl, providing opportunities for harvest mice to nest in reed beds and enabling oystercatchers the chance to feed on wetland shores.

With your support we can rise to the challenge of enhancing wetland habitats across our spectacular nature reserves the wider Nottinghamshire landscape.

Our wetland reserves cover over 700 hectares, more than 50% of our estate: managing sites on this scale is no small feat. Alongside work to maintain water levels, we must  control encroachment of trees and scrub in areas of reedbed and wet grassland. Without management, our wetlands are at risk of drying out leading to the loss of feeding and nesting areas for rare wetland birds such as lapwing and redshank.

Tackling scrub requires a multi-pronged approach; nature focussed grazing; use of hand tools by staff and volunteers; and occasional large-scale works by specialist contractors.

At Idle Valley Nature Reserve our incredible beaver families are helping tackle scrub 24/7 in areas where machinery, volunteers or even our hardy Longhorn cattle can’t reach.

As we deal with the consequences of climate change, such as flooding and rising temperatures, caring for our wetland sites is constant, ever-changing and unpredictable,. We must continue to meet these challenges to ensure these mosaics of diverse habitats can thrive.

With your help, we can turn the tide on wetland habitat loss and take the lead on putting the county’s wild places into recovery.

Donate £27 

£27 could help support our skilled Rangers who work with volunteers to care for our special wetland reserves.  

Donate £50 

£50 could help purchase tools such as loppers and bowsaws or contribute towards larger kit such as brush cutters and chainsaws so vital to our rangers and volunteers to manage these diverse habitats. 

Donate £??  

£?? Would help ensure our rangers and volunteers can get to and from and reach hard to access areas on our reserves.  

Donate £500  

£500 could support investment in fencing for our livestock, a water control feature to keep vital habitat wet or to provide infrastructure such as footpaths to ensure people can get close to nature.