| Can you help us save South Hoath Wood? |
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| Many of the animals and plants that live in South Hoath Wood are extremely special and very rare, creating a diverse ecosystem that must be protected, By making a donation today you too will become a guardian of this beautiful woodland and all of the amazing creatures that are harboured within it. |
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| With only one week left to save South Hoath Wood, please donate today and help us ensure its protection for future generations! |
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| Why is it so important to buy this woodland? |
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| South Hoath Wood is a very important site that has been documented back to medieval times and is a relic of the original ancient wild woods that once covered Britain. It is now part of one of the largest concentration of ancient semi-natural woodland and conifer plantations left in England. The forest complex is of national and international significance and has received the highest conservation designations, including Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and National Nature Reserve. |
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| The woodland we are seeking to save, is home to an outstanding breeding bird community, with over 50 species recorded, many which are very rare including the RSPB red listed nightingale, grasshopper warbler, willow tit, woodcock and tree pipit. All of these species have seen their numbers drastically declining in recent years. This site is also particularly important for the hobby, long-eared owl and the secretive nightjar. |
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| We must protect this diverse ecosystem |
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| South Hoath Wood also harbours to a wide variety of insect life including a rare species of ladybird and the globally threatened stag beetle. The woods are famed for colonies of the iconic red wood ant, which constructs towering and impressively engineered woodland cities from the multitude of woody materials on the forest floor. |
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| It is also a particularly vital habitat for the heath fritillary, one of Britain’s rarest butterflies. This endangered butterfly can only thrive where the woodland supports the growth of food plants such as cow wheat. Other species found include the nationally scarce lead coloured pug moth and the pearl bordered fritillary butterfly, now one of our most threatened butterflies. |
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| This woodland is ideal habitat for the hazel dormouse and other endangered mammals such as the pine marten and the red squirrel. Wildwood Trust is involved in local reintroduction programmes across the UK, and in the future, it may become possible to reintroduce the pine marten and the red squirrel to this area. Other woodland mammals with the potential to recolonise this woodland include the yellow necked wood mouse, hedgehog and some particularly rare bat species. |
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| The woodland is a very special place for many of Britain’s rarer bat species, some of which include the brown long-eared bat, the naterrer’s bat and the whiskered bat – all bats are protected and declining within the UK. |
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| Can you help us to save this woodland and ensure that all of the wildlife that lives there remains protected too? |
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| How can you help? |
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| Your gift will help to pay for the purchase of the woodland, ensuring its ongoing care and development as a centre of scientific study and teaching. |
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| Protecting this site will not only support Kent’s most endangered wildlife. Just as importantly, people like yourself will benefit too. Our aim is to use these woods as a resource for people of all ages and abilities to learn about wildlife, helping children and young people discover the joy of learning outdoors and getting close to nature. Through our award-winning education programmes and woodland ecology courses, we will be able to train the next generation of wildlife conservationists and scientists as future guardians of our precious wild spaces. |
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| However, the cost of woodland across the UK has spiralled out of control due to terrible government policies. Mass privatisation, counterproductive tax breaks and subsidies have allowed greedy developers to push up prices, often beyond the ability of charities to protect places like this. This means we needed to raise over £55,000 for the purchase of the 5 years of our agreement. We still have £23,000 to complete the purchase of this woodland and the next £11,500 is desperately needed by the end of this month, if we can't make this payment, then we will lose the woodland! |
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| What will your donation achieve? |
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£50 will pay for 200 square foot of woodland habitat.
£100 will pay for the installation of a dormouse nest box or bat box and ongoing monitoring to help a threatened species.
£250 will pay for 1,000 square foot of woodland habitat.
£500 will pay for an expert conservationist to coppice selected trees, allowing more light into areas of the wood and enabling a whole range of connected wildlife to flourish.
£1,000 will pay for 4,000 square foot of woodland habitat to remain safe forever! |
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| Enduring ownership by a dedicated conservation charity like Wildwood Trust, is the only way to guarantee that the site will have the sympathetic woodland management that it needs to support the delicate balance of its native ecosystems. With our protection, we can ensure the woodland has a sustainable future, where wildlife will be able to return it to its former glory and can continue to flourish forever. |
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| Thank you so much for your support, we can't do it without you, but with your help we really can make a difference. If you have any questions relating to this appeal, please don't hesitate to contact us. |
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