Local Land Manager Harry Smith is calling on people to support efforts to restore the Severn Hams, a vast floodplain stretching between Gloucester and Tewkesbury, through Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s biggest campaign to date, Mission Wild.
Decades ago, the Severn Hams was alive with wildlife. This large, open landscape echoed with the calls of curlew, while butterflies, bees and other pollinators thrived amongst species-rich grasslands.
Today, much of that wildlife has disappeared. Years of habitat loss and changes in land use have left nature struggling, while increasingly extreme weather brings greater risks of flooding and drought for both people and wildlife.
Now, Harry and his team at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust are working to restore the Severn Hams and create a landscape where wildlife and farming can thrive side by side.
As part of the Trust’s ambitious Mission Wild campaign, Harry’s Mission aims to bring nature back to this internationally important floodplain. Plans include restoring wetlands, improving grasslands, creating habitat for threatened species and working alongside local farmers to build a more resilient landscape.
The project will help support iconic species including curlew, lapwing, snipe and a wealth of pollinating insects, while also helping the landscape better cope with the impacts of climate change.
Harry is now appealing for public support to help make this vision a reality.
Harry Smith, Land Manager at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, said: “Spending time on the Severn Hams, it’s hard not to think about what this landscape must have been like years ago. It’s still a special place, but we’ve lost so much. Mission Wild is our chance to help bring some of that life back. By restoring wetlands and grasslands and working closely with local farmers, we can create a landscape that’s better for wildlife, better for people and more resilient for the future.”
The appeal forms part of Mission Wild, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s largest-ever fundraising campaign, which aims to raise £3 million to secure the future of wildlife across the county.
To support Harry’s Mission and find out more, visit: https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/harrys-mission-severn-hams