Stephen Fry has released a short film lending his support for The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 by 30, a public appeal to raise £30 million to start putting nature into recovery across at least 30% of land and sea by 2030.

The film is released on Giving Tuesday and asks people to “repay” nature for all the support its given people in tough times.

In the film for The Wildlife Trusts, Stephen Fry says:

“In my lifetime we’ve seen a catastrophic decline in our wildlife. Species are in danger of disappearing altogether and we’ve taken nature for granted for too long. Something big needs to happen to change this. I relish bold action and The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 by 30 ambition is the most audacious and courageous I’ve seen in a very long time.

“Simply put, by allowing nature to recover by protecting 30% of land and sea we'll see the natural world transform. It’s our best hope of turning the tide to make sure we have a thriving natural world to pass on to the next generation. Nature has been there for us all when we’ve needed it the most. Now is the time to repay it ourselves.”

Funds raised by The Wildlife Trusts’ new 30 by 30 appeal will go towards nature recovery projects that will put new land aside for nature as well as repair and link-up existing, fragmented, wild areas to enable wildlife to move around. The aim is to bring nature back to the places where people live.

Other well-known supporters to have backed The Wildlife Trusts’ vision include Liz Bonnin, Richard Walker and Alison Steadman.

30 by 30 in Surrey

Surrey Wildlife Trust aims to restore some of the most endangered areas of natural habitat, on the North Downs by working with councils, landowners, charities, farms, vineyards, schools and community groups. The beautiful ridge of chalk hills stretches from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. They are also home to a very rare habitat – chalk grassland – which has been steadily declining in the UK since the end of the World War Two.

The iconic Surrey landscape, which people have visited for day trips from London and further afield for centuries is suffering. Surrey has some of the fastest declining wildlife populations in England, with one third of its species now either extinct or in danger. This includes local extinctions of some bee species, such as the shrill carder bee.

England has lost more than 80 per cent of its chalk grassland which is devastating to pollinators and insects. Now more than ever we must take action, because we are facing a pollinator and insect crisis, with 41 per cent of insects facing extinction. The vision is to expand flower-rich chalk grassland and wildflower meadows along the North Downs, so they become alive with the humming of bees alongside beautiful bugs and butterflies dancing from flower to flower.

Surrey Wildlife Trust wants to work with others in this area to restore these historic chalk ridges between Guildford and Reigate, which were once needed to protect us in case of enemy invasion in World War Two. They are still needed today to protect our health and wellbeing and to protect the future of our bees, bugs and butterflies in Surrey.

Surrey Wildlife Trusts are part of the Wildlife Trusts movement of 46 charities with vast experience of restoring nature in every part of the UK. They care for more nature reserves than there are McDonald’s restaurants – 1,000 more – and their 30 by 30 ambition will help to establish a nature recovery network of interlinked wild land across the country.