Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is the local conservation charity dedicated to protecting the wildlife and wild places that make these two counties so special. For more than 65 years, we have been restoring habitats, bringing wildlife sites back to life and inspiring people to play their part in nature’s recovery. Supported by over 29,500 members and 1,250 volunteers, we care for over 80 spaces for nature, from ancient woodland and lowland heath to chalk rivers, estuaries, saltmarsh and seagrass meadows, helping to safeguard the rich natural heritage that shapes the identity and character of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
As one of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, we are part of a nationwide movement working towards a wilder future. Here in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, that means protecting and strengthening the landscapes and seascapes that are home to extraordinary wildlife and deeply valued by local communities.
As a science-led organisation, ecological surveying forms the foundation of our conservation work and the UK State of Nature Report 2023 demonstrates why robust, long-term monitoring is urgently needed. Alongside habitat loss and land-use change, the climate crisis is now an escalating driver of biodiversity decline. Rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, more frequent storms, droughts, and flooding events are already affecting species survival and habitat condition. Without detailed ecological monitoring, these changes can go undetected until declines become severe or irreversible. Monitoring allows us to identify climate-related impacts early, enabling adaptive management and helping land managers respond proactively rather than reactively.
In 2027, a £25,000 grant from the Elgol Fund for Nature will strengthen our organisational capacity to deliver nature monitoring across the Trust’s 70 nature reserves and with partner organisations. The grant will support one of two seven-month paid ecology traineeships running from April to October 2027, helping us maintain the scale of the programme while we secure complementary funding for the second placement. Together, the traineeships will support our nature monitoring work through surveys, data collection, analysis and reporting, while giving emerging conservation professionals the chance to develop skills, grow in confidence and take their first steps into careers in nature conservation.
The traineeships will make a real difference to our conservation work, increasing our capacity to monitor and understand nature. This will strengthen the evidence we rely on to protect and restore species and habitats, while helping to nurture the next generation of conservationists and create lasting impact for nature’s recovery.
All photos courtesy of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
