Essex Wildlife Trust Annual Review 2018 Our wildest year so far Protecting Wildlife for the Future and for the People of Essex A year of success It gives me an enormous sense of pride to look back on 2018 – our wildest years so far. With the uncertainty in the wider world showing no sign of resolution, it is important that we continue to deliver against our organisational objectives, conserving and managing habitats, whilst engaging people in the wonders of wildlife – and ensuring that those in positions of authority know what we can achieve for our beautiful county. We took part in a national Wildlife Trusts parliamentary reception, focusing on the contribution that young people can make to environmental conservation, which gave us the chance to discuss our work with a number of Essex MPs. Nationally, the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is working in partnership with other leading ‘green’ charities, to influence key developments, such as a new Environment Act and future farm subsidy regimes. Locally, we can advance our position, talking to politicians, landowners and other leading individuals. We cannot win the fight on our own and need to build strong partnerships if we are to make a real difference for wildlife in Essex. Our media work is a great way of getting our messages out to a wide audience. We are fortunate to receive excellent coverage with local TV and radio stations, but only because our reputation is so positive. Our staff show great professionalism, knowledge and enthusiasm in front of the camera and behind the microphone. It’s much appreciated. These thanks extend, of course, to our staff across the organisation, whether working out on a reserve, teaching a group of young people, serving teas in a café or undertaking key jobs at our Abbotts Hall Farm HQ. And especially to our fantastic volunteers, who give so much to the Trust. Each and every one of you should be very proud of your contribution, for which we are tremendously grateful. Stewart Goshawk Cover picture, Dormouse. Ian Pratt Main picture, Ray island. Chair, Essex Wildlife Trust Dave Watts Peter Clayton 2 Essex Wildlife Trust | Annual Review 2018 With more land, more projects, Protecting and more support from volunteers, it’s been a busy year for conservation in Essex. wildlife One of the surest ways to extend our work is to increase the amount of land that we own and manage. We have completed the successful purchase of a further addition to our Wrabness and wild reserve to expand the wet grassland habitat and have also taken on the management of Thurrock Marshes, an SSSI site which is unique in the Thames Gateway for its biodiversity. Its superb places mosaic of habitats includes nationally important collections of invertebrates. Another way that we protect wildlife is by using our influence, with our focus increasingly on landscape- scale projects. We have continued to advise on proposed National Infrastructure projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing, Tilbury-2, and Bradwell Nuclear Power Station. We have also led on the development of the Blackwater Initiative to advance collaboration between ourselves, the RSPB, the National Trust, Maldon District Council and Essex and Suffolk Water. Outputs have already included an ambitious joint Wader Strategy. Volunteers continue to be the backbone of our work. Our Coastal Warden scheme has gone from strength to strength with the recruitment of over 30 new volunteer Coastal Wardens. We’ve expanded our data collection and continued to build on our relationship with the Environment Agency and Anglian Water, while over 50 volunteers have been working with us on Shoresearch surveys to collect much needed coastal biological records. We have continued to build on our flagship projects such as the Essex Barn Owl project and the Brent Goose satellite tagging project, the latter of which is helping us to unlock the migration behaviours of this key Essex bird species. We have also been working with the Environment Agency to trial the installation and monitoring of ‘saltmarsh sausages’ at Abbotts Hall Farm. These are large coir rolls which trap sediment and allow establishment of saltmarsh vegetation to tackle erosion. Increasingly, our work extends into urban areas and road systems. Following the discovery of a dormouse population on sections of the A12 verges, we have been planning habitat improvements with the Highways Agency. But we haven’t forgotten the countryside. Working with landowners in the Danbury area, we have planted 2.5km of mixed species hedgerow to improve connectivity for wildlife. This is just one of many examples of such activity. Your help is fundamental in allowing us to undertake this important work and fulfil our mission to protect wildlife. Thank you for your support. Essex Wildlife Trust | Annual Review 2018 3 Inspiring the people of Essex On the cusp of turning 60, we’ve educated 60,000 children in a single year – not to mention adults of all ages. Amazing. Our aim is to be the flagship provider for learning through nature in Essex. At the heart of our education strategy is the commitment to building a talented team of educators, reaching people at all stages of life, and raising the profile of the Trust as a leading environmental educator. This is underpinned by the principles and practices of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. We are delighted to have been awarded the Quality Badge by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom for education at schools and centres delivered by our wonderful Educations Team. The Quality Badge is a national award, combining the two essential elements of high-quality provision – learning and safety – into one trusted accreditation scheme that serves as a kitemark for potential clients. This year has seen us exceed our targets for quantity as well as quality, reaching over 60,000 children through our education programmes. We have the largest Education Team of all the Wildlife Trusts, with every member of staff committed to positioning Essex at the forefront of environmental education. Responding to the tide of public concern about the harm of plastics in both land and sea, we created a pioneering new ‘Plasticology’ workshop programme to explore the problems (and solutions) of plastic rubbish in Essex. Plasticology has been a big hit with schools, and some workshops have been generously funded by our corporate partners. Our early years sessions go from strength to strength, with a growing following of loyal parents and children who attend every week to learn about wildlife through the seasons. This year saw the programme successfully rebranded as Nature Tots, complete with logo, organic cotton tee shirts, bags, and more. We also began exploring the potential of having our very own outdoor- based Nature Nursery. This pioneering work in early years provision should see nursery children benefitting from year- round interaction with the natural environment. Watch this space. Meanwhile, our accredited training programme for educators, which includes Forest Schools, Coastal Schools and Outdoor Learning practices, has continued to build, enabling us to train others to educate children through interaction with wildlife and the natural environment. We now have eleven education staff trained as Forest School leaders and two members of the education team are on the Essex Forest School Association Steering Group. Your support has allowed us to reach more people than ever this year, covering all areas of Essex and spanning the generations. Let’s achieve even more next year. 4 Essex Wildlife Trust | Annual Review 2018 This year saw a huge increase in Delivering our press coverage and substantial growth in our online community. More voices for wildlife. a greater Our number of supporters across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has increased by 9,000, bringing our total followers to 31,000. This growth was particularly notable on Instagram with a 138% increase in followers, extending voice for our reach to a younger demographic. The Essex Wildlife Trust Community Facebook Group was also created, allowing our supporters to interact with one another. Our social media followers helped us deliver a greater wildlife voice for wildlife in many ways, particularly by promoting our key campaigns. One example was the potential loss of protection for Local Wildlife Sites through the Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework, which would have left 12,500 hectares unprotected in Essex. Our campaign video had 23,000 views and 900 shares. Alongside the efforts of other Wildlife Trusts, the campaign led the Government to publish a revised version that reinstated protection for Local Wildlife Sites. June saw the return of our annual 30 Days Wild campaign, calling on everyone to do something wild every day in June. There were 2,200 sign-ups in Essex, including 232 schools and 65 businesses, an increase of 37%. Research shows that 30 Days Wild helps to improve people’s connection to nature and increases the likelihood of them actively helping to protect nature. We produced a video every day in June, offering activity ideas and showcasing our wildlife and nature reserves, attracting more than 54,000 views. Our number of television appearances more than doubled, with national features on ITV This Morning, BBC Countryfile, BBC’s The One Show, Channel 5 news and Forces TV, promoting our conservation work to millions of viewers. These national appearances were alongside regular features on regional television, including BBC Look East, ITV Anglia and BBC Inside Out. We also featured frequently on the radio. We talked nationally about water voles on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Nature Notes’ and the ecology of wood mice on BBC Radio 5, while our Help for Heroes collaboration featured on the British Forces Broadcasting Service. Locally, we featured on BBC Essex once every 13 days on average, informing listeners of species spectacles, events, campaigns and local projects.