The new three-year partnership will create a wilder future for Cassiobury Park Local Nature Reserve and Whippendell Woods through long-term management plans and community engagement. Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust will run a new series of volunteering opportunities, giving the local community a chance to get hands-on with the wildlife on their doorstep.

Cassiobury Park Local Nature Reserve and Whippendell Woods lie on the western outskirts of Watford and are both important havens for wildlife that provide a key role in nature’s recovery in a densely urban area within the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Cassiobury Park Local Nature Reserve is 62 acres of marshland and open pools, surrounded by wet woodland of alder and willow trees. The river Gade, one of Hertfordshire’s precious chalk streams, also runs through the nature reserve. Whippendell Wood is 165 acres of ancient woodland and believed to be more than 400 years old, it is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its variety of woodland habitats.

Anna Daniels from Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust said,

“We are so pleased to be working with Watford Borough Council to empower the local community to take action to protect the wonderful wild places on their doorstep. Wildlife in the UK is under constant pressure from habitat loss and climate change so this is a brilliant example of being able to work towards protecting the magnificent wildlife that we have in our area.”

Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said,

"Improving biodiversity is not only immensely valuable in and of itself, but is also a large and important part of solving the climate crisis. Watford Borough Council is so proud to work alongside the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the local community in helping to support nature through these programmes, and we looking forward to seeing these wild spaces returned to their former glory."

The new partnership comes soon after COP26 in Glasgow, which saw a renewed focus on how well-managed wild places, such as Cassiobury Park and Whippendell Woods, can play a vital role in helping to combat climate change. When managed well, woodlands and grasslands are excellent at trapping and storing carbon.