Publications

Despite rhetoric from Ministers that pin the blame for slow development on bats and newts, new research shows that these protected species are rarely a factor in planning appeal decisions. This research and evidence reports finds that in 2024, bats and great crested newts were a factor in just 3.3% of planning appeal decisions.

Planning and Development: Nature isn't the problem full report

Natural Flood Management (NFM) is increasingly recognised as a valuable and cost-effective complement to traditional flood defences in the UK.

This research project, in partnership with RSA Insurance, an Intact Company, and The Wildlife Trusts assessed the full range of benefits from NFM schemes already implemented or in progress by local Wildlife Trusts, and brought together existing literature on the societal net benefits of NFM. 

Read the Natural Flood Management summary report

Read the Natural Flood Management full report

This briefing explores current issues and sets out The Wildlife Trusts’ principles for home-building which will actively contribute to reducing climate impacts, help nature to recover and tackle health inequalities.

Housing Principles briefing

This independent report was commissioned to explore the economic reasons behind the housing crisis and research ways solutions for development to contribute to reducing the nature, climate, health and housing emergencies.

Housing and Nature Report

Our planning system should contain the tools we need to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. This report explores how the planning system can help our health, nature and climate. 

Read the Planning: A new way forward report

A Wildlife Trust report on why current plans for HS2 will cost nature too much, resulting in local extinctions and loss of valuable habitat.

What's the damage: HS2 report

Sustainable food production depends on the natural world. The health of natural systems underpins our ability to produce food, yet these systems are under threat, putting our food security at threat. 

Here, we discuss 12 ways to tackle the food system to ensure nature and food production go hand in hand. These 12 ways fit into three areas: land, consumption, and fairness.

This briefing sets out what soils are and how healthy soils function, outlines the threats acting upon them, and explores the role they play in achieving sustainable food systems, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and the protection of natural environments.

Read the Digging into Our Soils paper

Despite covering only 10% of UK land area, peatlands are our largest terrestrial carbon store and are also vital habitats for highly specialised species. 

This briefing outlines why further action is needed and summarises a vision for the future of lowland agricultural peatlands with four key recommendations to reverse the ongoing harms.

Read the agricultural lowland peatlands discussion paper

This report demonstrates how moving to nature-friendly farming can be productive and financially robust for farm businesses across the sector. The evidence shows how putting nature at the forefront of decision-making can release farms from the vice grip of input dependency without undermining nature and the climate – a prerequisite for our long-term security.

Read the Farming at The Sweet Spot report

Read our recommendations for a future agriculture policy after the UK leaves the EU. Published in January 2018.

Read What next for farming

Climate action needs nature. Nature needs climate action. Neither will succeed if we don’t prepare for a changing world.

Read Let Nature Help report

Embracing Nature. August 2024

This is The Wildlife Trusts’ third annual report on adapting to climate change, following from our first report in 2022, Changing Nature. In keeping with reporting requirements under the UK Climate Change Act (2008) we assess how climate change is directly affecting our own charities — the federation of Wildlife Trusts.

Read Embracing Nature

Our Year in Adaptation. July 2023

This first annual update of Changing Nature brings together a range of actions that The Wildlife Trusts have undertaken over the past 12 months, set against the commitments in our five year plan. It also considers the impacts that extreme weather has had on our sites in the past year, whether there has been any change in our capacity to act, and key evidence and capacity gaps.

Read Our Year in Adaptation

Changing Nature. June 2022

This is The Wildlife Trusts’ first report to set out an assessment of climate risk and actions on adapting to climate change. In keeping with reporting requirements under the Climate Change Act (2008) we assess how climate change is directly affecting our own charities — the federation of Wildlife Trusts.

Read Changing Nature

Nature-based Solutions Showcase. July 2023

We need a rapid scale up of nature-based solutions to make this happen and ensure nature can play a central and valued role in addressing social challenges including climate change. Here we show just one example across a range of Wildlife Trusts, representing just a small proportion of all the projects we are doing.

Read the Nature-based Solutions Showcase report

Quantifying the potential impact of nature-based solutions on greenhouse gas emissions from UK habitats. April 2022

This report was commissioned to give The Wildlife Trusts technical insight into the scientific evidence that is currently available on the relationship between habitat creation, restoration and management, and atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) levels. 

Read the report on nature-based solutions

The Wildlife Trusts' Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Financial Year 2023-24

On The Wildlife Trusts federation's journey to net zero, our priority is to cut GHG emissions right across the work we do, and free ourselves from fossil fuel use and dependencies. This annual report presents the GHG emissions from our operations in Financial Year (FY) 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Read the Greenhouse Gas Inventory for financial year 2023-24

The Wildlife Trusts' Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Financial Year 2022-23

On The Wildlife Trusts federation's journey to net zero, our priority is to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions right across the work we do, and free ourselves from fossil fuel use and dependencies. This annual report presents the GHG emissions from our operations in Financial Year (FY) 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. 

Read the Greenhouse Gas Inventory report for financial year 2022-23

The Wildlife Trusts' Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Financial Year 2021-22

In working together towards net zero by 2030 across The Wildlife Trusts, our major priority is to cut GHG emissions right across the work we do, and free ourselves from fossil fuel use and dependencies. This annual report presents the GHG emissions of The Wildlife Trusts in Financial Year (FY) 2021-22, covering the 46 individual Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts.

Read the Greenhouse Gas Inventory report for financial year 2021-22

The Wildlife Trusts' Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Financial Year 2020-21

The Wildlife Trusts are taking an evidence-led approach to understand, reduce, and report our GHG emissions across our value chain, and to report against our net zero 2030 target. The Wildlife Trusts federation will work together towards a goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as well as putting in place robust adaptation measures across all our work.

Read the Greenhouse Gas Inventory for financial year 2020-21

The Wildlife Trusts' position on climate change, reflecting the views of all 46 Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts.

Read the position statement

The Wildlife Trusts and Natural England have begun a consultation process with Local Wildlife Site (LWS) Partnerships in England and Wales to understand the LWS data they hold and their thoughts around sharing that data. The information collected will assist in identifying the role of LWSs in achieving 30 by 30 and nature recovery and inform what is needed to promote long term sustainability in relation to collecting, managing and sharing LWS data.

Read the Local Wildlife Sites System Status Review

An evidence-based assessment of the critical role nature plays in addressing the climate and nature crises. It highlights how scientific research, monitoring, and innovation are crucial to understanding the true value of nature for human well-being and developing solutions for nature's recovery.

Read Wild Science 2024

In order to assess what has happened to the places on Rothschild’s List over the past century The Wildlife Trusts set out to collect as much information as we could using desktop research to measure the current state of the 284 Rothschild Reserves. Read our conclusions in the 2015 review.

Read The Rothschild List report

The Wildlife Trusts are calling for the creation of national networks for nature’s recovery.  These will need to be spatially planned so that action can be targeted to where it will be most effective to form an ecologically coherent, resilient network of sites that will enable nature to recover and thrive.  The Handbook draws on the expertise from across The Wildlife Trusts movement in planning and implementing networks for nature. 

Read the Nature Recovery Handbook

Read 'Towards a Wilder Britain' our proposals for a Nature Recovery Network of joined-up habitats to help wildlife and people to thrive.

Read Towards a Wilder Britain

The Blue Carbon Mapping Project, led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) on behalf of WWF, The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB, provides a detailed estimate of the amount of carbon captured and stored in UK seas, including Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The series of reports uses the best available data on coastal and marine habitats that capture and/or store carbon (known as ‘blue carbon’). It estimates that 244 million tonnes of organic carbon are stored in just the top 10 centimeters of seabed sediments and vegetated habitats, with over 98% of it stored in seabed sediments such as mud.

Read the Blue Carbon reports

This report sets out The Wildlife Trusts' proposals for a new UK Marine Strategy, challenging the government to bring back living seas.

Read The Way Back to Living Seas

In this 2016 report, The Wildlife Trusts set out their case for an interconnected network of Marine Conservation Zones. The report highlights the importance of protected marine areas, not only for the recovery of fragmented habitats, but for the longevity of our living seas.

Read The case for more Marine Conservation Zones

An independent report from MEL Research that was commissioned to examine the impact and outcomes of the National Lottery Heritage Funded project, Nextdoor Nature. The project brought people and communities together to help nature flourish where they live and work.

Read the Nextdoor Nature report

A Wildlife Trusts' report on why we believe every child has the right to be wild. With fewer than 10% of children playing in natural areas, we explore why time spent in nature is important, and what we're doing about it.

Read Every Child Wild 

A summary of research carried out by University of Essex and Leeds Beckett University for The Wildlife Trusts which demonstrates that for every £1 invested in Wildlife Trusts’ volunteering programmes, there is a £8.50 social return.

Read the Natural Health Service

Analysis of the health and well-being impacts of Wildlife Trust programmes

Read Social Return on Investment

The 2019 State of Nature report was produced by a partnership of over 70 organisations involved in the recording, researching and conservation of nature in the UK and its Overseas Territories. It is the third report of its kind published, with the first having been published in 2013 and the second in 2016.

Read the 2019 report
Read the 2016 report
Read the 2013 report

Our partnership with Jordans Cereals helps the farmers who grow their oats to farm in harmony with nature. Our impact report shows how Wildlife Trust advisors have been helping the farmers achieve this.
Read

In 2016 The Wildlife Trusts, along with the RSPB and partners, called for a Nature & Wellbeing Act, that would set the world's first legally binding targets for nature's recovery in a generation. Over 9,000 people contacted their MPs about the Act before Parliament was dissolved ahead of the 2015 General Election.

This document sets out the purpose of the act and its impacts on the country's health and economy. It includes examples of how we and our partners put the ideas of the Act into practice to make a difference today.

Read

Published in 2017 to advise boaters on how to get the best experience out of their wildlife encounters by acting responsibly and cautiously to minimize the risk of disturbance while keeping participants and their boats safe.

Download guide