Wildlife trust launches £3m 'nature recovery' appeal

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust said hedgehogs were among the species "disappearing fast"

A wildlife trust has launched an appeal to raise £3m over the next three years.

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) said it hoped its Nature Recovery Fund would "help bring wildlife back".

The trust said wildlife in the three counties was "disappearing fast."

It comes after this year's State of Nature Report - produced by government agencies, environmental groups and academic institutions - found one in six UK species at risk of extinction.

TV presenter Steve Backshall, who is president of the trust, said it was its "biggest ever appeal"

Estelle Bailey, the trust's chief executive, said the loss of butterflies, wild flowers, hedgehogs, birds, frogs and bees had been "shocking".

"Unsustainable development and intensive farming are wiping wildlife off the map right here on our own doorsteps, and our climate is in chaos," she said.

"But it's not too late. Our Nature Recovery Fund will help create more nature everywhere, which is good for climate and people in our three counties too. But we all need to do our bit, urgently."

TV presenter and Berkshire resident Steve Backshall, who is president of the trust, added: "Sadly, the nature we know and love is under serious threat - the call of the wild is being silenced.

"That's why BBOWT is launching its biggest ever appeal with an ambitious goal. We want to bring nature back - it's that simple."