The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is a registered charity, established in 1961 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's urban, rural and marine wildlife and its environment.

The trust

Twenty percent of Devon is unspoilt wildlife habitat, and the county contains all or part of two

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

s (

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

and

Exmoor Exmoor () is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simons ...

), one UNESCO biosphere reserve ( North Devon Biosphere Reserve), five

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

(

Blackdown Hills The Blackdown Hills, or Blackdowns, are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England. The plateau is dominated by hard chert bands of Upper Greensand with some remnants of chalk, and is cut through by river valleys. ...

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Honiton, although Exmouth is the largest town. The district also contains the towns of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Cranbrook, Ottery St M ...

North Devon Coast The North Devon Coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Devon, England, designated in September 1959. The AONB contributes to a family of protected landscapes in the Southwest of England and a total of 38% of the region is cl ...

South Devon South Devon is the southern part of Devon, England. Because Devon has its major population centres on its two coasts, the county is divided informally into North Devon and South Devon.For exampleNorth DevonanSouth Devonnews sites. In a narrower s ...

and the Tamar Valley) and part of the Jurassic Coast, the only natural

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in England. Devon Wildlife Trust campaigns on a number of regional and national wildlife issues, and also looks after some 58

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

s including

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

such as Bystock, Dawlish Warren, Bovey Heath, Chudleigh Knighton Heath, and Dunsford. The trust has about 37,000 members which help fund its work and it is aided by around 300 volunteers which help with running local groups and habitat management work on the charity's nature reserves. There are also some 100 full-time staff working for the Trust. The Trust's headquarters and visitor centre is located at the historic Cricklepit Mill in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

. The building features a working 19th-century water-powered flour mill and displays information about the Trust's reserves and activities. Outside is a wildlife garden, an oasis of calm in the middle of the city. The Trust's other visitor centre is Wembury Marine Centre on the coast in Wembury. The trust also manages Woodah Farm, near Doddiscombsleigh, which is situated in a wildlife reserve and provides groups with research facilities.

Nature reserves

Devon Wildlife Trust manages the following nature reserves: * Andrew's Wood * Ash Moor * Ashculm Turbary * Barley Valley Park * Bellever Moor and Meadows * Blackadon * Bovey Heathfield * Bystock Pools * Chudleigh Knighton Heath * Clayhidon Turbary * Dart Valley * Dawlish Inner Warren * Dunsdon * Dunsford * Duryard and Belvidere Valley Park * Emsworthy Mire * Exe Reed Beds * Exeter Valley Parks * Halsdon * Halwill Junction * Hawkwood * Higher Kiln Quarry * Horsey Island, Devon * Ideford Common * Lady's Wood * Lickham Common * Little Bradley Ponds * Lower East Lounston * Ludwell Valley Park * Mambury Moor * Marsland *

Meeth Meeth is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England roughly north-northwest of Okehampton and west-northwest of Exeter. It lies to the west of the River Torridge. In the past, ball clay mines were a ...

Quarry * Meresfelle * Meshaw Moor * Mill Bottom * Mincinglake Valley Park * New England Wood * Old Sludge Beds, Exe Estuary * Rackenford and Knowstone Moors * Riverside Valley Park * Ruggadon Middlepark * Scanniclift Copse * Sourton Quarry * South Efford Marsh * Stapleton Mire * Stowford Moor * Swanpool Marsh * Teigngrace Meadow * The Rough * Uppacott Wood * Vealand Farm * Veilstone Moore * Venn Ottery * Volehouse Moor * Warleigh Point * Whitycombe Valley Park * Wolborough Fen * Woodah Farm Rural Skills Centre

Campaigns

Devon Wildlife Trust actively promotes and runs a number of campaigns. Devon is the only English county with two coastlines, and the Devon Wildlife Trust is joining with other wildlife trusts to campaign for better protection of marine life. The Trust are responsible for watching over the UK's only breeding population of wild

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

s. Present since at least 2008 in the River Otter, evidence of kits was found in 2014 and by 2019 there were believed to be eight families living on the river.

References

External links

Wembury Marine Centre website
{{Authority control Environment of Devon Organisations based in Devon Wildlife Trusts of England 1962 establishments in England Organizations established in 1962