The Blue Butterfly Scheme

Restore Our Planet has supported this innovative project which was devised to address the alarming decline of wildflower grassland in the UK – a 97% loss since 1937 – by working with Local Authorities to manage, restore and create wildflower meadows across the County and beyond.

Managed sympathetically grasslands can be composed of a diverse range of attractive wildflowers that support a wealth of wildlife. However, many grassland areas are intensively managed ‘green deserts’, containing little value for wildlife.

The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has been instrumental in promoting better management of grassland, to local authorities, private landowners and businesses with the aim of making a significant contribution to UK biodiversity.

Natural Connections – Education & Community work in Mansfield

Mansfield District has a number of rare habitat types of international importance. However, a majority of local people are unaware of their existence and in fact have a negative opinion of the local natural environment.

Restore Our Planet has helped fund this project, which aims to co-ordinate local groups, and most importantly schools, to change this perception, encourage local people to feel more positive about their local environment and encourage their involvement in the management of Local Nature Reserves (LNRs).

Working with individuals, community groups and schools the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s project officer has co-ordinated the establishment of volunteer groups, organised guided walks, open days and other events to engage local people in the management and enjoyment of their local environment.

Natural Connections Mansfield has been one of the success stories for nature conservation in the County. Not only by providing a sustainable infrastructure for the preservation of valuable areas through the designation and protection of local green spaces, but also the fact that the project has been able to encourage so many people to take part in the protection of their local environment.

Besthorpe Heron Colony

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust have been studying grey heron chicks at Besthorpe Nature Reserve, since 1996. From the outset it was apparent that there was a problem at the heronry, and during the checking of nests dead and sick chicks with multiple fractures of the leg and wing bones were regularly found.

Restore funded the trust to send these corpses to the Institute of Zoology for post-mortem examination in order to establish possible causes of the problem. The dead grey heron chicks were found to be suffering with metabolic bone disease (rickets). Blood samples from the chicks found that the affected grey herons had high levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCB’s (controlled industrial waste products) which are probably the cause of the deformities.