Wildlife trust launches £3m appeal

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has launched an appeal to raise £3 million over the next three years.

The charity said it hoped its Nature Recovery Fund would "help bring wildlife back", explaining that said wildlife in the three counties was "disappearing fast".

BBOWT has launched an appeal to raise £3m over the next three years (Chris Teague).

The appeal comes after this year's State of Nature Report found one in six UK species at risk of extinction. Estelle Bailey, BBOWT's chief executive, said the loss of myriad species of wildlife in the counties was "shocking".

"Unsustainable development and intensive farming are wiping wildlife off the map right here on our own doorsteps, and our climate is in chaos," she said. "But it's not too late. Our Nature Recovery Fund will help create more nature everywhere, which is good for climate and people in our three counties too. But we all need to do our bit, urgently."

TV presenter and Berkshire resident Steve Backshall, who is president of BBOWT, added: "Sadly, the nature we know and love is under serious threat – the call of the wild is being silenced. That's why BBOWT is launching its biggest ever appeal with an ambitious goal. We want to bring nature back – it's that simple."