2023 – It’s Been Wild!

In January, 

Canterbury was voted as one of the top 10 places to have brought about positive change, thanks to the Wilder Blean Project, a wilding initiative using wild bison as ecosystem engineers to combat the biodiversity crisis and make the landscape more resilient to climate change.

February

saw the release of the 2022 Bugs Matter  report for Kent. Bugs Matter is a national citizen science project in partnership with Buglife asking people to count bug splatters on their vehicle windscreens as a way of monitoring insect populations. Alarmingly the survey revealed that insects had declined by 75% in Kent over the last 20 years.

In March, 

all eyes were once again on West Blean and Thornden Woods as the conservation grazing animals; Exmoor ponies, longhorn cattle and Iron Age pigs were released to the woodland as part of the Wilder Blean Project. This month also saw the first Wilder Carbon projects validated by the soil association. One of the projects is a rewilding initiative at Heather Corrie Vale, an abandoned golf course in the Darenth Valley. The restoration of these projects, funded by carbon finance, will make them wildlife rich and climate resilient, and keep carbon locked up into the future.

Roll onto April 

and the Trust were busy preparing the launch of their Wilder Kent 2030 strategy, outlining three main goals which will help create a wilder, better future for people in the county.

Advocacy was the theme for May 

with the Trust asking people to respect marine wildlife, in particular the seal colony at Pegwell Bay. These magnificent creatures had been subjected to ongoing disturbance from recreational water sports activities as the weather improved.

In June, 

the Trust welcomed some late lambs to the flock after a surprise birth for a ewe who had lost a previous pregnancy following a dog attack. The good news was an opportunity for the charity to campaign for dog owners to behave responsibly around livestock.

A landmark moment beheld the organisation in July 

when finally, after much anticipation, red-billed choughs were released over the white cliffs of Dover. This flagship species reintroduction was made possible through a partnership with Wildwood Trust and supported by Paradise Park in Cornwall.

As we moved into August, 

no one could have anticipated the media frenzy that a mystery totem pole could cause in Capel-Le-Ferne. The surprise sculpture appeared overnight, placed there by an unknown person under the cover of darkness. To this day, the origin story of Perkūnas the pole remains a mystery.

The summer holidays passed by and in September 

proposed changes in Nutrient Neutrality laws inspired the Trust to launch its ‘Save Our Stour’ campaign, highlighting the need for better protection for our waterways. Some members of the charity also donned their best bib and tucker to celebrate the organisation being awarded the best animal and environmental charity of the year at the Kent Charity Awards. However, the real hero of the night for Kent Wildlife Trust was Bill Hickmott, who now in his 80s, was handed a certificate after being shortlisted in the volunteer of the year category for his long service to the Trust.

As the year appeared to pass us by in a flash, October 

was upon us as was the launch of the eagerly anticipated Planet Earth III presented by none other than Sir David Attenborough himself. The award-winning nature documentary series is championed by conservationists over the globe and Kent Wildlife Trust was honoured to play a small but significant role in bringing it to our screens as Downe Bank Nature Reserve in Bromley was chosen for the series opener. As the first episode aired, viewers were treated to the sight of Sir David walking along the historically significant slopes of Downe Bank, where Charles Darwin conducted his studies.

Also launched in October in preparation for fireworks night, the Nature Nightmares campaign encouraged people visiting wildlife sites to behave responsibly and not let off fireworks near livestock. A fundraising appeal accompanying the campaign resulted in many generous donations from like-minded supporters who wanted to contribute to the clean-up operation.

The damp wintery conditions of November 

proved perfect for mushroom spotting with a rare candelabra coral fungi found in West Malling. This is thought to be one of a handful of registered spots in Kent.

As people began to put up their Christmas trees and hang out their sparkling lights, Kent Wildlife Trust launched the “Rethink Sea Link” campaign, asking the National Grid to consider alternative, less environmentally impactive routes, for an electricity cable linking Kent and Suffolk. The current plans impact the internationally important site of Pegwell Bay and nature haven of Minster Marshes.

If that was not enough, determined to end the year with a final hurrah, December 

led the Trust to announce the birth of a bison calf from the Wilder Blean Project herd. This little ecosystem engineer is the first wild bison to be born and bred in the woodland.

Kent Wildlife Trust’s Charlotte Lewis reflects on 2023: