The project, which will be launched at the Sustainable Market in St Albans on 23 May, will encourage and empower the local community to take positive action for wildlife across the district. The project’s dedicated People and Wildlife Officer, Heidi Carruthers, will work together with community groups, individuals, schools and businesses to make space for wildlife in every part of our lives.
St Albans set for a Wilder Future with new Community Project
A partnership project between Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and St Albans City & District Council aims to create a Wilder St Albans.
Wilder St Albans is an exciting project and a great example of how communities and organisations can come together to make a real difference and play their part in nature’s recovery.Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Heidi Carruthers, People and Wildlife Officer at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Councillor Chris White, Leader and Portfolio Holder for Climate, Environment and Transport for St Albans City and District Council, said:
"We are very pleased to be supporting this exciting and important project. Tackling the climate emergency is our major priority for the years ahead and we want our whole community to get involved. Wilder St Albans will encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to do exactly that. It will bring people together as they decide on the actions they can take to improve their environment.”
As part of the project launch, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is appealing for the public to take part in a wildlife survey to understand how wild St Albans is now and how this will change over the course of the project. The ‘How Wild Are We?’ survey will be launched on 23 May and will help people record the wildlife around them.
Grebe House Wildlife Garden, Josh Kubale
A dedicated project webpage will help St Albans residents get involved in Wilder St Albans by providing resources, ideas and inspiration on what they can do to help wildlife in their gardens, neighbourhoods, businesses, schools and communities.
The Wilder St Albans Facebook Group provides a space for people to share ideas, ask questions, learn from one another and showcase what they have done for wildlife.
In Hertfordshire, our towns and cities cover a larger proportion of the county than the national average - 17% compared to 7% nationally - making urban conservation efforts even more necessary. Hertfordshire’s State of Nature report, published by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust last year, highlights the immediate need for action to address the ecological and climate crises and to secure at least 30% of land for wildlife by 2030 to halt wildlife decline.