RSWT Annual Impact Report 2022-2023 by The Wildlife Trusts

Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts Impact Report 2022-2023

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Foreword From the largest corporate donation made to a UK nature charity, to securing fantastic guests and generating thought-provoking debate on each of our Wild LIVE panels, there are many contenders for RSWT’s ‘crowning moment’ of 2023. However, what has really shone through is the progress made in getting Strategy 2030 off the ground, as this year we shifted from launch into implementation mode.

HEADSHOTS © JONNY ADELSON

With the bold and ambitious goals we set ourselves in Strategy 2030, it was clear that we had our work cut out. And whilst there remains much to do, it has been heartening to see real progress made this year in each of our strategy areas, providing a solid foundation for us to build on. Each goal, transformation and enabling priority set collectively by The Wildlife Trusts in 2022 now has a strategic group assigned to it, with over 250 staff from across the federation represented, each setting milestones and steering the direction of travel, as we work through priority actions to achieve our end vision of a thriving natural world, where wildlife is valued and people motivated to care for it. In some areas, progress has been rapid – for example enabling priority five, “speaking with a bold and confident voice”. Wildlife Trust voices are regularly sought after and heard on the national stage, with media and political leaders seeking us out to provide commentary and insights on a wide range of issues, from rewilding to planning to Net Zero. This in part has been helped by a renewed focus on evidence, with several reports launched during 2023, including the first-of-its-kind report, A Natural Health Service, which estimated NHS cost savings of up to £635 million per year through investment in Wildlife Trust health and well-being programmes. Farming at the Sweet Spot published in partnership with the Nature

Friendly Farming Network was another seminal report this year, proposing a new food production model that could result in ‘happier, healthier and wealthier’ farmers that worked with, rather than against, nature. Meanwhile our collective power, together as Wildlife Trusts, and as part of the wider environmental charities network, forced the hand of UK Government on several occasions to U-turn away from damaging policy decisions, for example backtracking from scrapping nutrient neutrality measures after a public outcry linked to polluted rivers. It has also enabled positive environmental decision-making, for example in Wales, where the Welsh Government’s Road Review panel has published four principles that effectively prevent any new road schemes in Wales. Thanks to public pressure, it is clear that any political party hoping to do well in the next general election will need to do better than make promises that are later broken on nature and climate issues. For RSWT, transformation one, “supporting and developing Wildlife Trusts as strong and independent actors”, has been a real priority during 2023. From developing shared services, such as the upcoming volunteer management portal or growing existing schemes, such as Access Charity CRM and the collective web, to establishing new frameworks (e.g. safeguarding; equality, diversity and inclusion; corporate engagement), which will aid the implementation of Strategy 2030 and help Wildlife Trusts in their work. These important frameworks and supporting policies will be vitally important for ensuring effective and meaningful collaboration as we face bigger, more complex challenges as a federation. RSWT has also been able to provide guidance and

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advice on cybersecurity, safeguarding, HR and digital transformation to Wildlife Trusts in need. Over the next few pages, we celebrate a whole host of achievements over the past year in addition to those mentioned above, none of which would be possible without the hard work and unstinting efforts of our colleagues here at RSWT, and the support of staff in the wider Wildlife Trusts movement. Be it building new corporate relationships to running national campaigns, the work of RSWT helps to underpin the fantastic and exciting work for nature’s recovery happening everyday out in the Wildlife Trusts.

Thank you all for your hard work and your dedication to The Wildlife Trusts.

Craig Bennett Chief Executive

Duncan Ingram Chair

Our Strategic Goals 1

Nature is in recovery with abundant, diverse wildlife and natural processes creating wilder land and seascapes where people and nature thrive.

People are taking meaningful action for nature and the climate, resulting in better decision making for the environment at both the local level and across the four nations of the UK.

Nature is playing a central and valued role in helping to address local and global problems.

Our Strategic Transformations 1

Supporting and developing Wildlife Trusts as strong and effective independent actors.

Working effectively as a distributed network and collective movement.

Inspiring community organising and mobilising, especially amongst young people.

Undergoing a ‘root and branch’ digital transformation.

Delivering a step-change in the scale and diversity of funding for nature’s recovery.

Our Enabling Priorities 1

Getting our own house in order.

Ensuring our nature reserves and land assets are the foundation for nature’s recovery.

Develop clear and consistent evidence-based policies.

Invest in a high-skilled and diverse staff and volunteer network, and build a movement-wide learning culture.

Speak with a bold and confident voice, further increasing our impact and influence.

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A year for the

Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts We started the year by launching a new vision for food, farming and nature, which recognises that a healthy and resilient natural world is essential for food security. The vision was the culmination of a partnership between farmers, landowners and environmental charities, a crosssector consensus, which seeks to offer solutions to the nature and climate crises we are facing.

We helped launch the Health Equals campaign in March. As founder members, we are helping to change the conversation on health inequality in society. Neighbourhoods with quality greenspace, clean air and access to nature are key building blocks that have a lasting and positive impact on people’s health, and will be a core focus for the campaigning and communities team involved in Health Equals.

2022

JANUARY

MARCH

DECEMBER

2023

At the of end of 2022, COP15 took place in Montreal, Canada. World leaders came together to review the implementation of 20 global agreements to halt biodiversity loss, and The Wildlife Trusts, represented by Chief Executive, Craig Bennett and Director of Climate Change & Evidence, Kathryn Brown, were there to put pressure on our leaders to do more and recognise the link between climate change and nature depletion.

‘Wilder Spaces’, The Wildlife Trusts’ show garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival, won gold and was awarded Best in Show and Best Construction. RHS judges praised the garden for its atmosphere, flair and impact. Led by Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, the team demonstrated how wildlife habitats can be designed into a garden, using building waste, reclaimed material and untreated timbers. Hot off its heels came further success with show garden ‘Renter’s Retreat’ at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, which was awarded with a gold medal, Best Get Started Garden and People’s Choice Award.

MAY

FEBRUARY

APRIL

RSWT announced what is thought to be the largest corporate donation ever given to a UK nature charity in February when Aviva partnered with us on an ambitious new project to restore temperate rainforests. £38 million of funding will enable us to purchase land along the Atlantic coast and return it to its natural state as a rich and diverse habitat and carbon store. The project is underway and we are working with 12 Wildlife Trusts on land acquisitions.

In April, RSWT launched a new diversity survey for staff and trustees within The Wildlife Trusts. The survey was the most thorough we have ever undertaken and aimed to look beyond a simple recording of diversity and delve into issues of inclusivity. Every Wildlife Trust responded to the survey and overall response rates are high, providing us with a valuable set of data to help us understand and improve diversity throughout the federation.

A new report, with groundbreaking research on the positive impact of Wildlife Trust health and wellbeing programmes, was launched to huge media interest, and sparked conversations in the health sector. A Natural Health Service: Improving Lives and Saving Money, highlighted the benefits of green prescribing and the huge sums of money the NHS could potentially save should investment be made in similar programmes.

We proudly announced a new ambassador in September after Rhiane Fatinikun, founder of Black Girls Hike, agreed to join us and champion the Big Wild Walk in October. Rhiane is an awardwinning outdoors advocate and community organiser. She founded Black Girls Hike (BGH UK) in 2019 to challenge the stereotypes and lack of representation in the outdoors.

JULY

SEPTEMBER

As part of our drive to professionalise our internal documents, which support and inform Wildlife Trusts, we launched the How We Work booklet and accompanying film at our annual general meeting, which looks at the history of The Wildlife Trusts and RSWT’s role within the federation.

JUNE

AUGUST

OCTOBER

To mark six months on from the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, The Wildlife Trusts and global law firm, Hogan Lovells, hosted a business breakfast attended by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey. The event was an opportunity to bring business leaders together to shine a light on the inextricable link between nature’s recovery and business resilience; with private sector investment and ambitious government action required to reverse global nature loss.

In August, RSWT unveiled a new programme to accelerate UK nature recovery and help reverse catastrophic declines in wildlife. £6 million from the Ecological Restoration Fund will support rewilding projects, the reintroduction of keystone species and better protections for marine and coastal habitats. Vital nature recovery projects such as the Hadrian’s Wall corridor, Northern Ireland peatland restoration and Welsh Marches are benefitting from the funding.

We were present at the party conferences for both Labour and the Conservatives, and hosted fringe Wild LIVE events with panellists including Steve Reed, MP for Croydon North and Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, environmental journalist Fiona Harvey, chair of the Conservative Environment Network, Ben Goldsmith and Rebecca Pow MP for Taunton Deane and Under-Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Wildlife Trusts Wales attended and held a discussion on the Sweet Spot Report with NFFN on the main stage of the Plaid Party Conference.

JAY IN SNOW © PETER CAIRNS/2020VISION. MANX SHEARWATER © CHRIS GOMERSALL/2020VISION. MARSH FRITILLARY © VAUGHN MATTHEWS DAMSELFLY © ROSS HODDINOTT/2020VISION. REDSTART © MARK HAMBLIN/2020VISIONLADYBIRD ON MUSHROOM ©PAUL HOBSON

NOVEMBER

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BOY IN WHEELCHAIR © HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT WILDLIFE TRUST. FEDERATION CONFERENCE PANEL © DANIEL LAVERICK

Executive Office With a broad remit that covers the day-to-day running of RSWT and wider governance and facilitation of The Wildlife Trusts federation, the Executive Office wears many hats. Amongst their many achievements this year has been a real step forward in work around equality, diversity and inclusion; progress that received recognition from the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion, having been awarded with the bronze TIDEmark. New training sessions on disability and disclosure have been launched, alongside pilot sessions on producing ‘Easy Read’ documents, to be rolled out in 2024, along with British Sign Language training. A federationwide survey was also shared to better understand diversity within the federation, which saw all Wildlife Trusts take part. The rich set of results from this will be crucial in taking forward a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Framework, which is due to be formally adopted by the end of the year. Cyber security is a growing risk, with RSWT sharing guidance, delivering security reviews and supporting Wildlife Trusts on the rapidly evolving threats associated with cyber crime, including new threats in Microsoft Teams and QR code phishing. The customer services team delivered a series of events, which brought together federation staff to work on strategy implementation and collaborate on key issues. An inspirational trip to the Netherlands, hosted by our Dutch counterparts, was attended by almost 80 Chief Executives and Chairs, who witnessed what can be achieved for landscape recovery at scale through bold action. In September, a sold-out Federation Conference at Keele University was attended by 170 staff and over 100 more online for sessions on campaigning strategy, data, health and community engagement.

Safeguarding has also been a key theme in 2023, with a new framework that sets out a universal safeguarding standard for all Wildlife Trusts to adopt, incorporating best practice in line with current legislation. Support and advice has been given to Wildlife Trusts in 17 safeguarding-related cases, and a new community of practice established that includes trustees to ensure safeguarding practice is embedded from top to bottom throughout the federation. The HR team ran a seminar in London, which brought together 40 HR professionals from 20 Wildlife Trusts to share knowledge. The team has been developing movement-wide best practice, focussing on establishing a work anywhere agreement. In a busy year for recruitment, the team optimised the entire recruitment process to save line managers’ time and attract the best possible candidates. The team overseeing governance and strategy implementation launched the strategy steering groups and a federation-wide compliance audit, as well as professionalising internal communications. They have also drafted the new RSWT Strategy 2024-27, developed RSWT Council’s approach to youth engagement, and produced a new induction pack and guidance on how RSWT and Wildlife Trusts work together.

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Patience Thody Deputy Chief Executive

Landscape Recovery and Keystone Species

Early this year, we were able to announce one of our most exciting and ambitious nature recovery projects to date: to bring back Britain’s lost temperate rainforest. In what is thought to be the largest corporate donation to any UK nature charity, The Wildlife Trusts have partnered up with Aviva, who are donating just under £40 million to purchase land and restore temperate rainforest. The habitat, which once covered large area of Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, western Scotland and north-west and southwest England, has been reduced to just 1% of its former extent. The fund has already enabled the purchase of new sites in Devon, North Wales and the Isle of Man, with more in the pipeline. A true cross-team effort at RSWT, the programme also involves 12 Wildlife Trusts. The team have also helped Wildlife Trusts acquire land for rewilding through the innovative philanthropic lending scheme. At the time of publication, 19 sites (totalling 1,486 hectares) have been secured at a cost of more than £24 million. One of the latest sites, Ughill Farm, covers 138 hectares and is set to be rewilded by Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, whilst maintaining the existing important habitat for rare birds including curlew and golden plover. Two new projects, in Suffolk and North Wales, were onboarded to the Precious Peatlands programme, representing 84 hectares of peatland that will be acquired and restored to its former glory.

After negotiating a common geographical information systems (GIS) licence in 2022, we have rapidly moved towards the adoption of a common platform. This will enable Wildlife Trusts to share and access rich data from across the federation. 40 Wildlife Trusts are now on board and we are developing dynamic layers of data to facilitate knowledge sharing and enhance our understanding of the land we own and manage. Work to reintroduce keystone species has gained momentum, thanks to support from the Ecological Restoration Fund. This includes supporting our vision for free-living wild beavers in all major river catchments, which require lengthy licence applications and further advocacy work to make a reality. In addition, research and advocacy is underway to open the doors for reintroducing large herbivores (such as primitive horse and cattle breeds, bison and boar), which would fast-forward rewilding efforts. Finally, two new landscape recovery areas are getting off the ground, with new cross-Wildlife Trust and external partnerships developing. These areas are in the Severn catchments valleys (which is a partnership of eight Wildlife Trusts) and the Hadrian’s Wall rewilding corridor led by Northumberland and Cumbria Wildlife Trusts.

Rob Stoneman Director of Landscape Recovery and Keystone Species

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TEMPERATE RAINFOREST © BEN PORTER. WILD BOAR HOGLET © LUKE MASSEY/2020VISION

The work taking place in the landscape recovery team has moved at pace throughout 2023, with a number of new projects launching, new funding for land purchases and keystone species reintroductions, a significant growth in staff and a record-breaking project with Aviva set to fund nature recovery for a century to come.

Public Affairs, Policy and Marine

CUCKOO WRASSE © PAUL NAYLOR. FARMER INSPECTING CROPS © MATTHEW ROBERTS

In a year where nature and climate has become a ‘political football’ and a potential battleground in the run up to the next General Election, the work of the policy, public affairs and marine teams has never been more vital. With the threat of the UK’s green commitments becoming watered down and the scale of the climate crisis misrepresented, efforts to engage with and influence MPs, Ministers and other decisionmakers have stepped up to unprecedented levels. Through the creation of innovative partnerships with stakeholders, we have led on proposing evidence-based solutions and engagement with key decision-makers to address the future of farming in the UK. We published Forging a Way Forward – A Consensus on Food, Farming and Nature, a groundbreaking, cross-sector declaration supported by farmers, landowners and environmental charities, that set an exciting vision for the future. This was followed by the publication of Farming at the Sweet Spot written in partnership with the Nature Friendly Farming Network, which proposes a new model of farming systems to optimise profitability while working with nature and mitigating climate change. We also co-ordinated a collective presence at the annual Groundswell Agricultural Festival for the first time, broadcasting live from our marquee with a number of well-received ‘fringe’ events and talks. At the start of 2023, the UK Government authorised the repeated use of banned neonicotinoids, or ‘beekilling pesticides’, for growing sugar beets. In what has now become an annual battle, we worked with the Pesticide Collaboration to challenge the decision and brief MPs on the issue. We also inputted into briefings and amendments for different stages of the Levelling Up Bill and Regeneration Bill, Retained EU Laws Bill (which had potentially devastating and wide-ranging environmental impacts including the loss of nature

protections for species and sites), and the Energy Bill. We also responded to consultations and provided conservation advice for important marine and coastal areas, three of which were given Highly Protected Marine Area status in England in July. Working with peers in the House of Lords we prevented UK Government weakening the Habitats Regulations, which would have led to more pollution in our rivers. The Federation Conference in September focused on preparation for the next General Election, with guest speakers including former MP Gareth Snell and BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt. On day two, a series of workshops were delivered to help Wildlife Trusts put nature and climate on the agenda with the Prospective Parliamentary Candidates in their local area and use data effectively to support messaging. Meanwhile, external facing panel and ‘in conversation with’ Wild LIVE events aired online via YouTube, and to in-person audiences, on the fringes of the Conservative Party Conference, with under-secretary of state for environment, Rebecca Pow, in attendance; at the Labour Party Conference, with newly appointed shadow minister for environment, Steve Reed; and a one-to-one conversation with Dame Glenys Stacey, chair of watchdog, Office for Environmental Protection. Each has helped to bring political issues and related impacts on nature to a public audience.

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Joan Edwards Director of Public Affairs, Policy and Marine

BUMBLEBEE © JON HAWKINS

CRAIG BENNETT WITH GARDEN DESIGNER ZOE CLAYMORE © CHARLES THODY. FILMING FOR TOWN HALL © JOANNA RICHARDS

Marketing, Development and Communications In a challenging year for nature and people, achieving impactful media coverage and generating more support through our marketing, corporate relations and grant fundraising has been critical in keeping The Wildlife Trusts at the centre of nature and climate conversations. We launched The Great Big Nature Survey, a first-ofits-kind nature-connectedness survey to measure what people think about nature’s recovery, who is responsible for it and their feelings about some of the biggest issues affecting our natural world. In the first few months of the survey more than 20,000 people gave us their views, providing important audience insights to support our communications, campaigning, public affairs work and fundraising. The media team secured coverage for a wide range of issues and activities throughout the year. From our response to the Retained EU Laws Bill to the announcement of the Aviva rainforest donation, we featured heavily in print, broadcast television and radio, including Channel 4 News, ITV National News, Channel 5, Daily Mail, The Telegraph, and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to name a few. An episode of BBC Countryfile almost exclusively focusing on a Nextdoor Nature project in Lincolnshire, was a highlight. Our new major donor fundraising programme got underway with an unrestricted donation of £150,000, with similar sums for a number of Wildlife Trusts as we explored new connections to bring in more high net worth supporters. The new major donor community of practice we are facilitating is going from strength to strength. We secured £500,000 from a charitable foundation (its first ever grant to an environmental charity) to fund the first steps of a data warehouse and volunteer management system for the

movement (key projects in the digital transformation roadmap), and £400,000 to support existing posts on agriculture and climate policy. In addition to the £6 million secured from the new Ecological Restoration Fund for landscape recovery, and £38 million from Aviva for temperate rainforest restoration, our income channels have diversified and grown to fund large scale nature restoration and support central Strategy 2030 implementation projects. Our annual public engagement campaign 30 Days Wild saw a 15.5% growth in participants compared to the previous year, with more than 593,000 people taking part. In June we launched Coronation Gardens, in partnership with The Women’s Institutes, Incredible Edible and Garden Organic, a new initiative with the backing of King Charles III that aims to encourage people to grow their own food at home. Our national events programme grew this year and saw us broadcasting live from the Groundswell Festival and sponsoring prize-winning gardens at RHS Malvern and Hampton Court shows, reaching many millions of people thanks to huge media interest. Our Town Hall events for all Wildlife Trust staff took to the road, travelling to all corners of the federation and broadcasting live from the Isle of Man, Cheshire, and Lincolnshire, and our popular Wild LIVE panel debates have covered a vast array of topical issues shared with a public audience.

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Thirzah McSherry Director of Marketing, Development and Communications

Climate Change and Evidence

After releasing our very first climate risk assessment and adaptation report, Changing Nature, in 2022, the team has continued to build on our understanding of The Wildlife Trusts’ climate impact and how we can work to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This has included completing our greenhouse gas emissions accounts for 2021/22. This marked a significant milestone, and means that we now have three years’ worth of data to detect trends and better understand our collective emissions. Since we started to collect data, we are able to report that The Wildlife Trusts’ carbon emissions are moving in the right direction, having dropped by 10%. Other key publications included the annual adaptation report (a year on from Changing Nature), which assesses climate risk and actions on adapting to climate change, and an internal document that identitfies the opportunities of using nature-based solutions to counter climate change, which will be used to inform pitches to external stakeholders and funders. They have also ensured The Wildlife Trusts’ voice is part of international conversations, representing us at the UN’s Biodiversity Conference, COP15 in Montreal, and providing regular briefings from the climate

conference, COP27, reflecting on how decisions on the global platform impact us here in the UK. A number of new projects were launched in 2023, including a new initiative with our long-standing partner, Siemens, to scope out renewable energy options for Wildlife Trusts, and a project to assess and improve our current emissions reporting (which was agreed by Chief Executives across the federation and placed more emphasis on fossil fuel-based emissions). Very much a cross-team effort, the team played a key role in securing the Aviva donation for temperate rainforest restoration, completing the Woodland Carbon Code registrations. They continue to undertake carbon calculations for all new rainforest sites. Team director, Kathryn Brown, was also highly visible across media channels following the announcement of the programme, including BBC Radio 4’s Today, explaining why our approach has turned the traditional carbon off-setting model on its head. To encourage better collaboration between Wildlife Trusts, and provide access to key resources and shared knowledge, the team set up a new group on WildNet, providing a home for the data and evidence community of practice, and circulated the draft for a new framework that sets out how we will take a collective approach to evidence in the future.

Kathryn Brown Director of Climate Change and Evidence

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The small, but expanding, climate change and evidence team has been undertaking research and analysis to ensure that the decisions and actions of The Wildlife Trusts are grounded in evidence. This includes ensuring we are responsible landowners - managing our land in a way that reduces carbon emissions - but also that the voice of The Wildlife Trusts continues to be seen as authentic, trustworthy and authoritative on issues of nature and climate, sharing findings and insights through externally published reports and papers.

Campaigning and Communities It was a year of ‘firsts’ for the campaigning and communities team, as they explored new ways to engage new and diverse communities as part of establishing Nextdoor Nature throughout the federation, took a public lead on nature and wellbeing, and campaigned on multiple fronts. Following the successful launch of Nextdoor Nature in 2022, funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, the programme has blossomed. At least one community organiser is now established in each Wildlife Trust with over 140 people now accredited by the National Academy of Community Organisers in the skills needed to deliver community-driven action. July marked one year of the programme, and was celebrated with over 50 local events and activities, with community groups showcasing their efforts and staff using the opportunity to strengthen local relationships. With projects growing in momentum, an online ‘hub’ was launched for sharing how groups can help nature within their neighbourhood. National Lottery Heritage Fund assessors remarked on the project being authentically community-driven, producing a breadth of new and creative solutions for nature’s recovery. Continuing the connection between people and their surroundings, the link between nature and physical and mental health became a regular talking point in 2023, with The Wildlife Trusts at the centre of the conversation. As headlines around our failing healthcare service increased, we were invited to be founder members of Health Equals – a national fiveyear campaign led by the Health Foundation, which aims to shape a new public dialogue around health and well-being. The Wildlife Trusts are leading the conversation around how access and quality of wild places impacts health, and calling for equal access for all. We also launched a groundbreaking report

in July, A Natural Health Service: Improving Lives and Saving Money. The report analysed five Wildlife Trust programmes on their benefits to the NHS, and recommended that annual savings of more than £635 million could be achieved. The report was the catalyst for conversations within the health sector and could play a key role in the future of green prescribing. Building nature connections early on is paramount, which we were able to highlight to the Chair of the Education Select Committee, Robert Walker, convincing him of the need for a Natural History GCSE, leading him to support the call for its introduction. In campaigning, the HS2 Double Jeopardy report was launched, with over 104,000 co-signatories on an open letter to the Department of Transport and DEFRA urging both to review the severely inaccurate calculations that measure the damage to nature caused by the line. We also supported Wildlife Trusts to join Chris Packham’s Restore Nature Rally, expressing the need for urgent action in response to the State of Nature report, which paints a stark picture of nature’s decline. Finally, we extended our reach into new audiences, attending the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, engaging with a younger audience and campaigning for the protection of peatland habitat through a #LovePeat interactive exhibition

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Nikki Williams Director of Campaigning and Communities

Business Services

The collective web project has continued to grow, with 42 Wildlife Trusts utilising the shared platform to manage their website. The IT team has supported a wide variety of improvements and updates to the platform over the year, including enhanced mapping, fundraising and payments functionality (such as the introduction of Apple and Google Pay), advanced content sharing across sites, two-factor authentication, alongside penetration testing to ensure the system is secure. The Access CRM project has also grown, with 30 Wildlife Trusts now onboard. A number of new integrations and developments add further value, including booking integrations with Eventbrite and proof of concept of the CRM data hub, which will deliver valuable supporter insights. In procurement, a wide range of agreements with suppliers, utilising our combined buying power, provided Wildlife Trusts with opportunities to make savings and remove much of the administration involved in purchasing goods and services. Examples range from launching an EV salary sacrifice scheme, to completing the birdseed tender exercise. At RSWT, an employee benefits portal went live, and the mobile phone contract was renegotiated, reducing costs. Our new approach to procurement was also approved by Resources & Audit Committee, setting the future vision. New recruits into the finance team have brought a fresh approach and they celebrated a successful end of year financial audit and have planned a finance community of practice gathering for the end of the

year to exchange knowledge and best practice with peers from across the federation. The grants team launched the Biffa Annual Partnership Grants Scheme with an increased £1 million available (up from £750,000), and submitted the first Network for Nature project reports, funded by National Highways. They also submitted example climate adaptation projects to the regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund. These successfully gained confirmation of funding, and the team has produced guidance for prospective grantees. An additional raft of exciting projects are in the planning and development stage, due to land in 2024. The development of a volunteer management portal is a critical project that will help all Wildlife Trusts manage and better utilise their volunteers. Other IT developments to look out for include a membership management portal, piloting a cyber security service, and building out a data warehouse. Discussions on the sourcing and management of tree saplings and driving our Federation energy strategy are also underway as well as several other strategic sourcing projects in a pipeline which will begin to be driven by insights from our collective spend. Overall, as we move in to 2024, we will continue to improve presentation of our shared services, ensuring all trusts are aware of what’s on offer and how to tap in to the benefits they bring.

James Keetley Director of Business Services

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Throughout 2023 the business services team has developed a broad range of agreements, supplier deals and services designed to help Wildlife Trusts maximise their budgets, improve efficiency and encourage cohesive working within the federation.

Wildlife Trusts Wales / Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Cymru

The influential work undertaken by Wildlife Trusts Wales over the past year has resulted in a series of positive ‘wins’, influential partnerships and impactful campaigns that are helping to protect and recover nature in Wales. The Wildlife Trusts Wales team has worked closely with the Welsh Government, building a positive working relationship that has enabled us to advise and exert influence through campaigning where critical decisions for nature and climate are being made. This has resulted in a greater recognition of Wales’s nature crisis amongst political leaders, culminating in a new focus on achieving 30 by 30 commitments (30% of land and sea in nature recovery by 2030). This work is progressing through a series of Biodiversity Deep Dives with the Welsh Climate Change Minister. The political advocacy advice has also resulted in the First Minister inviting Wildlife Trusts Wales Director, Rachel Sharp, to become a member of the Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group to accelerate climate action in Wales. Following input, the Welsh Government Road Review Panel set four principles that will effectively stop any new road schemes in Wales, including the A55 red route. Ultimately, this has a direct benefit for nature and climate, and allows local Wildlife Trusts to redirect time and resource to other crucial campaigns. Considerable time has been spent to influence new farm payments in Wales, pushing for schemes to include a requirement for 10% tree cover and a further 10% of semi-natural habitat, with both habitat and carbon assessments incorporated. Advocacy work in this area has included ensuring sustainable land management principles are the central focus of the new Agriculture (Wales) Act. Whereas shifting focus off land, a new marine policy

post, funded by the Ecological Restoration Fund, is starting to take forward work examining bottom trawling and achieving 30 by 30 in Welsh seas. In collaboration with marine partners, we have also gained the Welsh Government’s agreement for a new Marine Fund to enable action to achieve Wales’s marine 30 by 30 ambition. Other influential partnerships this year include a burgeoning relationship with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, where the potential for a strategic partnership to deliver nature-based solutions across the company is being explored. Wildlife Trusts Wales also ran a joint campaign with Climate Cymru seeking a Nature Positive (Wales) Bill, which attracted more than 15,000 signatories and an open letter signed by over 300 organisations – the largest ever seen in Wales. The Bill will set statutory nature targets and will lead to the creation of a Welsh Office for Environmental Protection. The scale of ambition for nature recovery work has expanded in Wales over the past 12 months, with Wildlife Trusts working more collaboratively and utilising their collective strength to make a bigger impact. A successful bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported an all-Wales scoping project on digital transformation, with a Phase II grant secured to understand Welsh Trust’s digital needs. The five Welsh Trusts are jointly funding a new all-Wales Project Development Officer post to focus on rivers, uplands and marine projects. Welsh Trusts were able to access over £2 million of Nature Network funding for the management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest, secured by the Wildlife Trusts Wales team.

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The team increased their visibility this year, raising public awareness of the climate and nature crises’ impact on Welsh habitats. A series of 10 successful talks on farming and nature were delivered at the Royal Welsh Agriculture Show, and Wildlife Trusts attended National Eisteddfod and Urdd. Wildlife Trusts Wales has been working with eNGO partners to address BAME representation in the sector, and Welsh Wildlife Trusts attended the Cardiff and other Pride parades. A new Welsh Language Group and ‘Welsh Café’ to encourage Welsh language learners have launched. The Stand for Nature Project has been giving a platform for young people in Wales’ voices, including a COP15 Manifesto leading to a new Pesticides Free Wales campaign.

Rachel Sharp Director of Wildlife Trusts Wales / Cyfarwyddwraig Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Cymru

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Chief Executive

HRH The Former Prince of Wales Liz Bonnin Sir David Attenborough Simon King Tony Juniper Dr Amir Khan Iolo Williams Gillian Burke Prof Chris Baines Nick Baker Prof David Macdonald Bill Oddie Julian Pettifer Sir Robert Worcester Dr Mya-Rose Craig Prof Dave Goulson Hannah Stitfall David Oakes Sophie Pavelle Cel Spellman Alison Steadman Richard Walker James McVey Maddie Moate Rhiane Fatinikun (from September 2023) Duncan Ingram Craig Bennett