One Hundred for Heathlands

One Hundred for Heathlands

£2,725 of £100,000 goal
55 days remaining

Help us raise £100,000 for Surrey's heathlands

As part of our £1million fundraising drive to Save Surrey’s Nature, Surrey Wildlife Trust is fighting to restore our spectacular lowland heathlands for wildlife and people.

We’re working to connect and protect these vital habitats, bolstering their resilience against wildfires, and safeguarding rare and endangered species like the Sand Lizard, Nightjar, Smooth Snake and Heath Tiger Beetle. By establishing wildlife corridors and keeping habitats in tip-top condition, we'll give nature the space it needs to flourish in the face of climate change and human development. 

Britain hosts 20% of the world’s lowland heathland, and Surrey is home to over a dozen of these essential reserves. The weight of this responsibility rests securely on our shoulders; we’re playing a critical role in fortifying the futures of more than 20 species that could be at risk of extinction in the UK. 

From carrying out landscape-scale restoration to increase the resilience of our heathlands against climate change, to reintroducing important species on our sites - we have big plans to support these beautiful places and the myriad of wildlife that depends on them.

We need to raise £100,000 for Surrey’s heathlands before the end of 2024 – will you help us give wildlife a fighting chance?

Why heathlands matter

Lowland heathland is one of planet Earth’s rarest and yet most ecologically rich and interesting habitats, hosting dozens of bird, invertebrate, plant and reptile species that cannot thrive elsewhere, while storing carbon and acting as a fire and flood defence.  At Surrey Wildlife Trust we’re on a mission to protect and restore this vital ecosystem, but we can’t do it alone.  

Lowland heathland is home to scarce species such as the Sand Lizard, Smooth Snake, Woodlark, Heath Tiger Beetle, and the elusive Nightjar. We’ve lost 80% of this rare habitat in the UK over the last 200 years as a consequence of human activity, and Surrey supports a substantial 13% of the remainder. Climate change, development, and pollution continue to pose a serious threat—but together, we can halt the damage in its tracks.

By supporting our One Hundred for Heathlands appeal, you can help Surrey’s struggling heathlands thrive long into the future.

More about Surrey's heathlands

How you can help

By supporting our One Hundred for Heathlands appeal, you’re not only protecting rare habitats but actively helping to reintroduce species, combat climate change, and bring back balance to the landscape. Every donation, big or small, makes a real difference.

£100,000 would enable us to: 

  • Reintroduce the fascinating living fossil Marsh Clubmoss on our western reserves, boosting current management efforts at Chobham, Elstead, Pirbright and Brentmoor and a successful recent reintroduction at Wisley Common. 

  • Push back on climate change by carrying out wildfire resilience projects across our at-risk heathland sites, including the introduction of unplanted firebreaks, wetland areas and pathways. 

  • Reintroduce populations of Sand Lizards to a number of potential sites, to increase the resilience and genetic diversity of the overall population of these jewel-like reptiles. 

  • Reverse the decline in our landscapes through bringing back natural ecosystem engineers.  £15,000 will fund a feasibility study for the reintroduction of European Beaver and Red Deer to help manage the landscape and restore a more natural balance of biodiversity at Barossa. 

  • Explore the possibility for reintroduction of Black Grouse – a red-listed pheasant-sized former resident that went extinct in around 1900 and is currently only found in the northern regions of England, Scotland and Wales - across our west reserves. 

  • Create more wet heathland habitat to benefit one of the UK’s rarest insects, the Window-winged Caddisfly, which has suffered from the drying-out of boggy areas and now exists on only a handful of sites in the UK including Whitmoor Common. Our goal is to restore populations to Chobham Common. 

  • Boost the power of our volunteers and keep our heathlands in tip-top shape for nature all year round.   

SWT Director of Reserves Management James Herd says:

"With nature under unprecedented assault, we must act now to protect our rarer-than-rainforest heathland habitats. Every penny will be put to good use, and every donation makes a difference."
 

What a donation can do

Whether you donate, volunteer, or spread the word - your contribution matters.

  • £10 could help to maintain areas of bare ground on heathland reserves to benefit insects and reptiles

  • £25 pays for a conservation grazing animal to graze a site for a week, keeping it in good condition for nature

  • £36 will pay for a habitat survey to ensure we are doing the right thing for particular species

  • £165 pays for one hectare of heathland management on Whitmoor Common

  • £300 pays for a tree popper, an important piece of equipment for scrub clearance used by Reserve officers and volunteer groups

  • £1,200 pays for 4 hectares of heathland restoration and management on Chobham Common
     

FAQs

How can I donate to the appeal?

Thank you for your support! You can donate in the following ways:

Online Click the button at the top of the page to make a donation by Debit/Credit card, Google or Apple Pay.
By post Send your donation to: Save Surrey's Nature Appeal, Surrey Wildlife Trust, School Lane, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0JN.
By phone Donations can be made to the appeal over the phone by calling 01483 795445 between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday - Friday.

How much do we need to raise?

We’re aiming to raise £100,000 for Surrey's lowland heathlands, as part of the £1million Save Surrey’s Nature Appeal. It’s an ambitious target (we are asking businesses to support the appeal too) but this vital income boost is needed to achieve more for nature more quickly. 

Why is this appeal needed now?

We need to be bigger, bolder and wilder to restore nature at scale across Surrey. 

We rely on nature for everything – the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink - and it supports our health, happiness and even our economy. Yet for too long nature has been destroyed through unsustainable, inappropriate development and intensive agriculture. This must change. 

Our vision to reach 30% of land rich in wildlife and inspire one in four people to act for nature is bold, but it’s critical we achieve this by 2030.

Surrey's heathland species

Surrey's biodiverse heathlands are home to a whole host of exciting and nationally-scarce species. We're working hard to restore our precious heathland habitats to help them thrive again.