Harvest mouse © Amy Lewis
A year for wildlife
We want to see a North Wales richer in wildlife valued by all: no small aim in a world where wildlife is sidelined.
Yet we – our staff, volunteers, members and partners – take steps every single day to improve places for wildlife and strengthen the relationship between the people of North Wales and the local environment. Together, we make a real difference.
Each year, we summarise our work in an ‘impact report’: a celebratory snap-shot of our local movement. We hope it will inspire you to help us work for the wilder future that our children, and our wildlife, deserve to inherit.
Foreword by Frances Cattanach, CEO and Howard Davies, Chair
Looking back over a year of weather extremes, our nature and biodiversity are clearly under unprecedented threat. Storms Bert and Darragh hit Wales in late 2024, bringing flooding and very strong winds; we had an unusually dry spring and the following summer was the hottest on record in the UK.
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The impacts of weather extremes on nature are manyfold. When a mature oak tree falls in strong winds, the lives of hundreds of dependent species are disrupted. Spring and summer droughts limit flower availability for pollinators; wildfires become more prevalent with devastating effects, predator-prey relationships become out of sync, food availability is limited and crucial wetlands dry out.
When these conditions are set against a backdrop of increased pressure on nature from pollution, urbanisation, development and food production, it is more crucial than ever that North Wales Wildlife Trust deliver our Strategy 2030: Bringing Nature Back.
Working together with our wonderful volunteers, we protect and improve resilience in our nature reserves, monitor sensitive habitats to provide warnings of change and provide nature-based advice to landowners, managers and developers. We also contribute to the North Wales Nature Coordination Initiative and policy discussions with Welsh Government, and our impacts are felt locally, nationally and globally.
People remain at the heart of everything we do. We have nearly 10,000 members; we train our young people to be future leaders in conservation; we are supported by a wide range of funders and partners; and gifts in Wills represent a vital income stream that we turn into direct action for wildlife.
Thank you for supporting us.
