Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2008 | Page 61

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

to assist him manage the
sites. In return the volunteers
have the opportunity to gain
experience and confidence
in working in the outdoors
on conservation tasks.
Close links with neighbouring
farmers help manage some
of their sites. Cattle grazing
the downland at Arreton
being the most public.
In addition to owning and
maintaining these reserves
the Trust also offers advice
to landowners and farmers
about government grants. So
far they have spoken to over

life

120 landowners covering
in excess of 6000 hectares
of land on the island.
They have just set up the
‘Forest School Project’, which
involves trained Wildlife Trust
staff showing children how
to use tools safely, cook and
make hot drinks outdoors
and how to build shelters
among the many tasks over
a period of six weeks.
Another of their jobs is being
involved in the delivery of
wildlife projects within the Isle
of Wight Bio-diversity Plan,
the Community Strategy and
the West Wight Landscape
Partnership project.
Funding is through
donations, legacies and
grant aid. They are always
looking for suitable sites
of high conservation value
to add to their portfolio.
A lot of the countryside that
I would class as marginal or
none profit making land, has
the highest conservation value,
with the most to lose through,
miss or no management
and even change of use. We
should look at organisations
like the Wildlife Trust to
encourage us to do look
after the habit and aesthetic
value of the landscape that
we tend to take for granted.
Whether this is the future
in land ownership I don’t
know, but without the input
of charitable or non-profit
making organisations like the
Hampshire & Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust, many tracts
of our countryside would
be lost through none or
inappropriate management and
by the time the councils and
governments of our country
realise this, it may well be too
late for many species such
as the Reddish Buff Moth.
To find out more about the
work of The Hampshire and
Wildlife Trust contact them on
533180 or www.hwt.org.uk

Island Life - www.isleofwight.net

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