Devon Wildlife Trust

Meet Georgia the pine marten, reintroduced to Dartmoor last year and captured here on one of our wildlife cameras! 🐾 Named after Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise, Georgia was the only Pine Marten to be translocated down to Dartmoor on her own and appears to have a large home range at the moment (in the order of 300-400 hectares). She is using a wide range of denning sites across that area, including squirrel dreys in coniferous woods and holes in old veteran oak trees. 🌳 Our team have installed wildlife cameras at various locations to monitor the dispersal of the reintroduced pine martens in their new habitat and to better understand all of our woodland mammals, which are generally under-recorded. Following the release of pine martens to Dartmoor last autumn, we are now preparing to reintroduce these incredible animals on Exmoor this year, where they can fulfil their important role in our woodland ecosystems. If you're a woodland owner in one of these areas and would like to put out your own wildlife cameras, we'd love to hear from you and can provide help and guidance to get yours set up. 📹 Find out more about the Two Moors Pine Marten project and get in touch 👇 https://buff.ly/41ceVMc

After a decade of the wild beavers on the River Otter being the only legally sanctioned population in England, yesterday the UK Government announced the historic news that they will grant licences to release wild beavers across the country. Here’s Matt, Devon Beaver Project Lead at Devon Wildlife Trust, to talk us through what this news means for beavers in the county and the 3 things that will be crucial in making it a success: 🌱 Ambition in the licencing strategy, to ensure that this keystone species is brought back at scale without undue delay 🦫 Financial support from government for Beaver Management Groups 💧 Financial support for landowners living alongside beavers, allowing them to make space on their land for beaver-created wetlands Read more 👉 https://buff.ly/4bn8ieG Donate to our Boost Devon’s Beavers appeal 👉 https://buff.ly/4kgCTyD #BeaversAreBack #BoostBeavers

⏰ Just two days left to apply to be our Head of Finance and Business Development! Are you a financial leader passionate about making a positive impact on the community and environment? Can you drive business growth and enhance financial leadership? If so, we want to hear from you! Applications close Sunday 2 March, find out more and apply today 👇 https://buff.ly/4hLjeVJ

📢 Breaking news: Beavers are coming home across the UK! 🦫 In a historic milestone, it has just been announced that the government is to allow beavers to live wild across English rivers for the first time in centuries. It was in 2014 that reports of a population of beavers living on East Devon’s River Otter emerged – the first breeding population in England for more than 400 years, after they were hunted to extinction in the UK. In the years since, Devon Wildlife Trust’s pioneering work on the River Otter Beaver Trial helped show what water engineers and proven climate champions beavers are – restoring rivers, reducing flooding, and creating incredible habitats for wildlife. Now, Natural England are due to grant licences to release this keystone species in new and existing beaver populated catchments across the country. We spoke to Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England, about this news and what it means for nature’s recovery. 📖 Read more 👉 https://buff.ly/4bn8ieG 💚 Donate to our Boost Devon’s Beavers appeal 👉 https://buff.ly/4kgCTyD #BeaversAreBack #BoostBeavers

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK four hundred years ago. But in 2015, we took a bold step in bringing them back to Devon. 🦫 What started as a small, groundbreaking trial on the River Otter has grown into one of the most successful rewilding projects in the country. But we’re not done yet. We need to raise £28,000 by the end of March in order to release three new pairs of beavers this year, so that we can ensure the genetic diversity and resilience of Devon's beaver population for generations to come. 💚 Every donation counts, so please give what you can today 👇 https://buff.ly/3ERsKbx 📷: Robin Morrison

It’s easy to criticise governments (I would know!) but credit where it is due, this is a very welcome set of announcements from Defra today. The increased HLS payment rates are a much-needed boost for nature-friendly farmers, especially those early-adopters who have been restoring nature on their farms the longest. And the extension to the popular Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme will be a huge boost for Devon’s wildlife, where we blessed with (count them!) two National Parks and five National Landscapes. Pleased to see Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP & team recognising how vital farmers are to nature restoration. Though if I was to be critical (there, I couldn’t help myself) we need to acknowledge that these are mostly just sticking-plaster solutions. What we need to see now is urgent resourcing & capacity to enable farmers in outdated legacy HLS schemes to transition into new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes as soon as possible. Devon Wildlife Trust

📣 Calling all schoolteachers and youth group leaders 📣 Sign-ups for the #HedgehogWalk are officially open – the perfect adventure for the young people you care for this spring! 🦔 This is their chance to explore nature, fundraise for the wildlife on their doorstep and have fun doing it with their favourite characters from Aardman’s Timmy Time! However you take part, you’ll be helping young people nurture a greater love and appreciation for nature this spring whilst supporting a great cause and improving physical and mental well-being. 💚 Join us by signing up today 👇 https://buff.ly/3X606cK

While some try and blend in, the dashing tompot blenny likes to stand out. Bold, intelligent and with rather fetching head antennae, these intelligent fish display a wide range of social behaviours and even have unique facial patterns

Are you a financial leader passionate about making a positive impact on the community and environment? Can you drive business growth and enhance financial leadership? If so, we want to hear from you! https://buff.ly/4hLjeVJ 📷 Andrew Mason

The way we farm our land in Devon has a significant impact on the health of our rivers. At Devon Wildlife Trust, we have a highly skilled farm advisory team that work with farmers and landowners across the county to put in place measures that will protect our rivers from damaging practices. Our team of advisors have visited over 650 farms and 25,000ha of land is now managed in ways that are better for nature. We are now hiring for an inspirational Working Wetlands Project Manager to led this exceptional team. If you think that this could be you, then we want to hear from you! Find out more and apply by 23 February 👇 https://buff.ly/3Qpw2oW