If you have time to spare then give it to a wildlife charity or conservation group
Volunteer to help wildlife
What better way to help nature than to get out there and do something yourself! Put on your wellies and roll up your sleeves, make new friends and keep fit in the fresh air: that’s what volunteering is all about.
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Types of volunteering
Practical volunteering
Practical volunteering is brilliant if you don’t have a garden as it gives you the chance to get your hands dirty.
Get in touch with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and Do It for details of volunteering projects across the country.
Would you like to help toads cross the road safely? Yes, you really can do this as a volunteer!
Kids are perfect wildlife volunteers – what do they like better than getting grubby outdoors? For a fun, healthy way to keep your kids entertained, get in touch with Wildlife Watch, the children’s section of the Wildlife Trusts.
Other groups for children are: RSPB’s Wildlife Explorers, Woodland Trust’s Nature Detectives and the Young People’s Trust for the Environment.
Surveys
Surveys are really important to assess the status and needs of wildlife. It means you have an excuse to get out and see what’s going on for yourself. Or maybe just watch the birds feeding through your window.
You can do a survey whenever you have a bit of free time and wherever you live.
UK Phenology, The Mammal Society, RSPB and BTO all run regular surveys, so contact them if you want to know more.
Conservation holidays
If you love wildlife or you want to find out more, a dedicated holiday is a wonderful way to make a difference. You’d get to see a different part of the country and meet other lovely people who like the same things as you.
Volunteer holidays are run both in the UK and abroad. You generally pay for travel and the cost of accommodation and food, though sometimes extra money is charged to fund other charity work.
As a volunteer on holiday, you might be planting trees or researching into rare species – or anything in between.
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