Our nature reserves are sanctuaries for Dorset’s threatened species, but managing them requires continuous, challenging work. Your generous donation will help us create more dry heathland scrapes at Sopley Common where heath tiger beetles can thrive. You’ll help us manage conservation grazing at Upton Heath so that its important populations of sand lizards and butterflies can benefit. Coppicing at Bracketts Coppice encourages diverse woodland growth, providing crucial nesting spaces and food sources for hazel dormice. Every intervention has a direct impact on wildlife.  

However, these efforts are labour-intensive and costly. They demand specialist equipment, skilled contractors, and dedicated staff and volunteers. 

Our nature reserves are lifelines for Dorset's rarest species. The silver-spotted skipper butterfly, restricted to chalk downland, survives only on our Fontmell Down nature reserve. Most of Dorset’s population of the violet helleborine depends on one of our protected sites, and the plant is so rare that we can’t reveal the exact location. Without the carefully managed habitats they rely upon, these species would face extinction in Dorset.  

Our conservation efforts are also driving remarkable recoveries. In the three years since we acquired our flagship community rewilding project, Wild Woodbury, over 1,900 species have been recorded. That's an amazing uplift of 600 species since our first-year surveys.

Meanwhile, new scrapes at Sopley Common have quickly attracted rare heath tiger beetles, and breeding ponds at Powerstock Common are already home to thriving great crested newts. Your support is essential to continue this vital work, as well as expanding and enhancing our nature reserves for wildlife.  

Has a nearby reserve provided solace during difficult times, or respite during the Covid pandemic? Maybe there’s a special place you visit to see a species you love time and time again? Or perhaps you take joy in watching your children or grandchildren explore nature right on their doorstep. Whatever your connection, your favourite nature reserve needs your support.  

Your generosity will help conservation teams push forward in every weather to protect these essential spaces, relied upon by both wildlife and people. 

Looking after our nature reserves has been a key focus of Dorset Wildlife Trust for over 60 years. That work is now more critical than ever as we face increasing biodiversity loss and the growing impacts of climate change. To ensure impact and outcomes are high, we keep our plans flexible and scalable. In addition to this public appeal, we are seeking funding from other sources, including grant making organisations. Overall, we need to raise around £830,000 per year to fund our nature reserve management work. If we exceed our target of £100,000, we'll be less reliant on other sources of unrestricted funding this year. Alternatively, should we fall short of the target, we have a diverse mix of funding sources which ensure financial security.