Kia UK Limited has announced a new three-year partnership with Surrey Wildlife Trust, to support the conservation of nearly 100 acres of rare chalk grassland on nature reserves across the North Downs in Surrey.
Kia’s significant financial donations and fundraising activities for the Trust will provide young people with reserves management training, equipping them with skills essential for future nature conservation across the region. Kia UK staff will also take part in practical conservation efforts and help the Trust raise awareness of biodiversity and the important role it plays in the Surrey countryside.
The new partnership comes at a key turning point for Kia, having recently announced a future sustainability vision and roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK Ltd said, “This new partnership between Kia UK and Surrey Wildlife Trust demonstrates our focus on sustainability, one of the core pillars of our business. Kia recently outlined a new vision to help protect the environment globally and working with the Surrey Wildlife Trust is our local commitment, and enables Kia UK and our staff to support the safeguarding of habitats across the county. As our business continues to grow in the UK, I’m very proud to be able to donate time and funds to this great cause.”
James Herd, Surrey Wildlife Trust director of reserves management, explained: “The financial contribution from Kia will help us conserve many of Surrey’s chalk grassland sites to improve biodiversity, boosting butterfly numbers and rare plants. For example, by clearing encroaching scrub, we can support rare species of orchid and the small blue butterfly.”
The partnership will support conservation grazing and other ways of caring for precious species and rich open grassland at a number of nature reserves on the North Downs. These include Fames Rough, a haven for rare wildflowers, part of the Chipstead Downs; Quarry Hangers south west of Caterham, with orchids, butterflies and skylarks; Dawcombe to the east of Dorking; and Hackhurst Downs, north of Abinger Hammer. Altogether Surrey Wildlife Trust manages over 7000ha of land for wildlife on more than 70 nature reserves across the county.
Kia, which has its UK headquarters in Surrey, has a vision to become truly sustainable, including achieving carbon neutrality globally by 2045. As part of its recently announced Plan S strategy, the brand will launch 11 fully electric vehicles by 2026 globally. Kia is committed to offering a fully electrified vehicle line-up in Europe by 2035
