Yorkshire Folk Urged to Take Practical Action for Local Wildlife

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has launched its most ambitious call for public action for nature in its 77-year history.

The trust's #TeamWilder project aims to get 1 in 4 people in Yorkshire taking practical action for their local wildlife – around 1.3 million people.

#TeamWilder is a rapidly growing movement of people across the UK who care about the environment, and want to help wildlife thrive; not just on nature reserves, but at home, at work and in their communities. Anyone can join #TeamWilder anywhere – young or old, whether you know nothing about wildlife or are already part of a community group to make your area wilder.

Action in Yorkshire focuses on nine species that are in greatest need of help, and those that represent and support the diversity of the region’s wildlife. The ‘nine in need’ include once common garden friends such as hedgehogs, frogs and bumblebees, as well as swifts, pipistrelle bats and butterflies. The wildlife trusts says that without immediate action, "we could lose some of these forever."

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says

"Yorkshire's wildlife is in crisis and an alarming 1 in 7 species are at risk of extinction or becoming more confined to protected spaces. Loss of wildlife on this scale will affect the health of our natural world and have a devastating impact on our environment, health and economy."

Rachael Bice, CEO of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said,

“We are leading the charge for revolutionary change and empowering inclusive, diverse and growing communities to take meaningful action at home, schools and in the workplace, to build better connection with nature right across Yorkshire.

“Nature desperately needs recovery and to be recognised as a critical contribution to addressing the climate and health crises too. Access on a daily basis to the nature on our doorstep is a corner stone of a happy, healthy society.”

Here are Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s top tips for people ready to start a green wave from their neighbourhood.

1.    Join #TeamWilder
Head to www.ywt.org.uk/team-wilder to sign up for free. Signing up will unlock toolkits on how you can take action at home, how young people can get involved, and how to build local support and work together as a community. Resources also include guides on how to respond to planning applications in your local area in an effective way for wildlife, where to get support financially for starting a community initiative, and how to lobby your local MP about issues important to you.

2.    Get in some quick wins for the big nine in need!
Our ‘Quick Wins’ guide as part of our #TeamWilder resources is ideal for those with small spaces, limited budgets, and little time. It’s filled with easy and simple ways you can make a difference for your local wildlife, including providing flowers and water year-round, leaving your weeds, changing to peat-free compost and getting your neighbours involved.

3.    Form a local group
Work with your neighbours and local community, make contact through social groups and networks to restore a local green space, plan and restore banks of stunning wildflowers on verges or in parks to feed the bees, dig ponds to provide habitat for frogs, care for native hedgerows, erect nest boxes for swifts, or install hedgehog friendly highways through gardens.
You can learn more about what communities across Yorkshire have already been doing to help their local wildlife at www.ywt.org.uk/team-wilder and check out our handy toolkits which will help empower you to do the same.
If you’re already part of a community group making a difference to your local area, sign up and tell us about it!

4.    Take part in the Great Yorkshire Creature Count
Yorkshire’s biggest wildlife survey is back for its fourth year on 24-25th June. Last year over 3000 people took part in their gardens and local green spaces, connecting more people than ever before with the wildlife in their local community and inspiring them to take action to help it flourish. Taking part will give you an idea of what wildlife lives in your local area – and how your participation in #TeamWilder or your application our Wildlife Gardening Award will directly help your local wildlife. Data collected over time could also help the Trust’s future conservation work.
You can find out more about the Great Yorkshire Creature Count here: https://www.ywt.org.uk/great-yorkshire-creature-count

5.    Become part of something bigger
Nationally, the Wildlife Trusts have more than 900,000 members and 32,500 volunteers. Each regional wildlife trust is dedicated to doing what is best for wildlife in that area, working to make their local area wilder and nature part of life for everyone – both on the ground and by advocating on a national scale. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust depends on the support of 900 volunteers and 45,000 members, but the more people who join us, the greater difference we can make. Learn more at www.ywt.org.uk/membership.

Rachael concluded;

“The more people who take direct, meaningful action to address the state of our nature, the bigger difference we can make.

We can only reverse the decline of Yorkshire’s wildlife if we work together.

It is clear that now is the time to act. To join the #TeamWilder wildlife revolution, sign up at www.ywt.org.uk/team-wilder"