Wilder Kent 2030 Strategy

KENT WILDLIFE TRUST GROUP’S STRATEGY

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

Wilder Kent 2030 Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

PART OF THE KENT WILDLIFE TRUST GROUP

E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U LTA N T S

kentwildlifetrust.org.uk 01622 662012 | info@kentwildlife.org.uk Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3BD Registered Charity No. 239992. A company limited in England and Wales by guarantee 633098.

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

Action and innovation for nature

1

ST RATE GY

Local action to catalyse

national & global change

MAP KEY KWT reserves

2

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

We must act now at a significantly increased scale of action given the interlinked nature and climate emergency that is upon us.

The fate of future generations hangs in the balance. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) like natural flood management courtesy of beavers, or carbon lock-up via restoration of native habitats are a critical part of the solution. Wildlife must be restored to much higher levels to retain critical ecosystem services like pollination, and we can no longer allow common things to become rare.

Kent Wildlife Trust Group ’s mission to work with people to restore, save and enhance our natural heritage has never been more important or more urgent.

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

3

COVER PINE MARTEN ©TERRY WHITTAKER

Globally and nationally wild animals and plants are in steep decline. We are reaching critical tipping points around this loss of nature as well as around climate change. Human society cannot prosper without healthy natural systems.

There is no economy without nature.

A Wilder Kent 2030 Vision

Where nature is in recovery and being valued as a critical human life support system.

Overall Impact Measure

Ensure that KWTG is delivering the highest possible impact in the face of habitat loss and climate change.

2

Strategic Goals WE INSPIRE AND COLLABORATE Build a groundswell of support for Wilder Kent 2030: scaling-up our engagement to reach a larger, more diverse range of people.

G OAL

1

WE DEFEND AND RESTORE

G OAL

G OAL

30% of Kent’s land and sea displaying increased climate resilience & containing abundant wildlife.

3

WE STRENGTHEN AND GROW Diversify KWTG’s income sources and strengthen its systems, whilst operating sustainably.

Measures of Success 1

2

Double the area of land and sea under nature +ve KWT ownership and influence.6

25% of Kent’s population taking meaningful action for a Wilder Kent.

3.i

3.ii

A minimum £400K annual surplus being generated and reinvested in achieving our vision by 2025.7

Minimise operational GHG emissions.8

Operating Principles Action Now

Learning by Doing

Communicating Impact

Scaling Impact

We recognise the urgency of our mission and will take action now based on first principles and calculated risk.

We will remain agile to adopt new learning as we go, innovating and continuously improving our action through the convergent application of evidence.

We will continuously measure and communicate our impact, demonstrating our learning journey through the impact we achieve.

We recognise that we can’t do this alone. We will scale our impact by working with others to create a virtuous circle of success.

4

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

To achieve Wilder Kent 2030’s vision of nature in recovery and being valued as a critical human life support system, we need more land under our direct management, as well as greater influence over a larger geographic area where we can ensure the greatest possible conservation impact.

STUDENTS ©PENNY DIXIE TWT, OWL © LUKE MASSEY/2020VISION

We will use NbS finance to pay for the doubling of our own landholdings by 2030, and their subsequent long-term management.

We will partner with others to extend this approach to an equivalent area of land and sea beyond our estate.

The main strategic focus for KWTG must, therefore, be on acquiring and restoring new degraded land as well as better protecting healthy habitats. And, we can only achieve this scale if we publicly aspire to a higher level of impact and demonstrate that we can really deliver to this agenda. Doing this will motivate more people to support us and work with us, enabling us to scale our funding and create a virtuous circle of success.

6 7 8

owned by, or under 99-year lease to, KWTG as per indicative budget set out in Annex 1 recognising that KWTG is already carbon neutral c/o of our landholdings

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

5

How we operate +1 C Scaling impact

!

Naturebased Solutions

Learning by doing

Action and innovation

Finance to establish restoration and provide money for long-term management

Measuring and communicating impact

FIG 1.

6

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

Lack of c onsistent supportive policy frameworks

Directly and in partnership with others, to achieve 30% for nature

Climate change

Habitat loss and degradation

!

Land Acquisition and Management

0

Wilding For climate resilience via natural process re-instigation

!

Nature undervalued

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

Scaling our conservation operations to manage a larger landholding without unsustainable numbers of staff will be achieved by re-establishing natural processes via the introduction of natural engineers that catalyse greater species richness and/ or abundance, for example beavers, bison and boar.

This more hands-off approach is “wilding”: KWTG’s delivery mechanism of choice for NbS-scaled conservation. Natural processes will maximise potential climate adaptation for wildlife, preserving ecosystem function for people, and in doing so will help make Kent more ecologically, economically, and socially resilient (as per Fig. 1).

Globally and nationally, wild animals and plants are in steep decline. We are reaching critical tipping points around this loss of nature as well as around climate change.

We must act now to adapt and increase resilience.

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

7

Group Roles in Achieving Success

Where nature is in recovery and being valued as a critical human life support system.

1

2

Double the area of land and sea under nature +ve KWT ownership and influence.6

25% of Kent’s population taking meaningful action for a Wilder Kent.

• Acquisition & long-term conservation management of landholdings in Kent.

• Operational support for Group

1

2

3.i

3.ii

FIG 2.

8

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

A minimum £400K annual surplus being generated and reinvested in achieving our vision by 2025.7

Minimise operational GHG emissions.8

National not-for-profit subsidiary of KWT focussed on:

Parent charity for Group focussed on:

• Charitable (primary purpose fundraising)

3.ii

Wilder Carbon

Kent Wildlife Trust

• Advocacy for wildlife including opposition to damaging development

3.i

Kent Wildlife Enterprises Commercial subsidiary focussed on:

• Securing new land, paid for through Carbon Finance for KWT

Adonis Blue Environmental

• Strategic relationships including with corporates from Kent and beyond Kent

Commercial consultancy focussed on:

• Non “primary purpose” trading

• Direct income generation through innovation of new national product

• Generating commercial income as operational support for Group

• Wilder strategic influence and climate advocacy for KWTG

2

3.i

E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U LTA N T S

1

2

3.i

3.ii

• Working on commercial projects to derive the highest possible standard of biodiversity • Impact generating income & opportunities for parent company

1

2

3.i

3.ii

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

Although the whole of KWTG contributes to achieving Wilder Kent 2030, Kent Wildlife Trust has a specific role as the parent charity, whilst it, and its commercial trading subsidiary KWE, are more county-focussed than that of some of its subsidiaries – which deliberately allow the Group to operate beyond its borders.

Each subsidiary has its own Business and/ or Delivery Plan that defines its niche within the Group and its role in delivering Wilder Kent 2030, as summarised in Fig.2 against KWTGs “Organisational Measures of Success”.

Wilder Blean

Canterbury, CT2 9NG

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

9

R G

E IV US

RSE & INCL

DIVE FIG 3.

10

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

U

R

W We a r a e tak re ro cti le o er to ns esp mo ow do t and onsib dels. e n h mi ersh e sa ncou ility f me sta o r i p o kes . W age r f an our e ta othe do w k rs ur ork, e suc ou ces r ses ou

GE

OU

TA

We make change in a fast-moving world

tak We p u e tar risks sh b o get s to and s unda up wo et a ries on mb , rk an inno with itiou d in va s b teg tion ased rity

A

N

S

and g her lastin t e og ieve rust t rk t wo to ach upon e W ate d e cre bas co- ange h c

C

A OLL

BO

T RA

E

AG I L E

to deliver Wilder Kent 2030

. lop eve n d and ssio arn ur pa ilst e l wh ally in o nu ainta world ional i t s con l m ral fes We e wil natu a pro ased W the ing ce b for velop rman thic o e e f d per work

OU

LE

best possible team

W

AC C

We actively encourage and promote diversity, ensure all voices are heard and included and are committed to equal opportunities for all

CO

We need the

O

IN

PLE

B

Group culture

EO GP

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

Working together successfully across teams, departments, parent charity and subsidiaries means everyone across the Group adopts the high-level performance based, impactfocussed culture.

Our promise to all KWTG staff is that they will be rewarded for the effort they put into maintaining this culture. KWTG aims to be a class-leading employer of choice for those who want to make a real, measurable difference in the Nature and Climate Crises.

BISON FESTIVAL ©TOM CAWDRON

We expect the best from our staff and our staff can expect the best from us. We need the best possible team to deliver Wilder Kent 2030.

Bison Festival

Canterbury, CT2 9NG

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

11

Working in partnership MAP KEY KWT reserves Dartford

en

Reculver

de nD

ow n

Polhill Bank

Tyland Barn Visitor Center Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve

West Blean and Thornden Woods

Darland Banks

Nashenden Down

Queendown Warren

Oare Marshes South Blean Woods

Maidstone

Holbeam Banks

Quarry Wood Kiln Wood Tonbridge

Hothfield Heathlands

Spu ckl

es

W o

Brenchley Wood

od

East Blean Woods Canterbury

The Gill

Parsonage Wood Delmonden

Kent Downs AONB

High Weald AONB

Blackbarn Fields

Deal Yockletts Bank

Lydden Temple Ewell Dover Nemo Down

Old Park Hill Dover Castle

Stone Wood

Burnt Oak Wood

d

He

at h

Collingwood

Turner’s Field

Ham Fen

Larkey Valley

Conningbrook Ashford

Sandwich and Pegwell Bay

la n d s

Na s h

i hf

el

12

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

t Ho

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

KWTG cannot deliver Wilder Kent 2030 on its own.

Partnership can be difficult, but harnessing different approaches means stronger results.

Dover Castle Dover CT16 1HU

Doubling our landholdings is going to be challenging and will only take us from 0.9% in 2019 to 1.8% of Kent’s area by 2030.

Direct management input into areas owned by others can increase this to 4% of Kent where we can then evidence biodiversity uplift as directly attributable to KWTG.

CHOUGH ©SALLY SMITH

But, achieving nature positive impact over the other 26% of Kent that we need to be ecologically sustainable will depend on working successfully with others in a more arms-length way through delivery of a Nature Recovery Network.

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

13

Scaling impact

Wilding

Local authorities, District and Parish Councils Reserves Volunteers General public

NbS

Customers, visitors and local communities

Internal engagement and communication Landowners and developers

We can use this approach

to inspire and engage others FIG 4.

14

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

Climate resilience

Decision makers

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

We can focus our own action and innovation on the 2-4% of Kent under our direct influence: using wilding and other principle-based approaches to maximise the number and abundance of species of animals and plants.

Wilder Blean

Canterbury, CT2 9NG

We can then monitor our impact and openly learn by doing, whilst avoiding pursuing broken paradigms that have failed to halt nature’s decline to-date.

These won’t be sufficient to enable nature to adapt to unavoidable climate change anyway.

We know we can enthuse people by involving them in the re-introduction of missing flagship species like chough and ecological engineers (keystone species) like bison and beaver.

Working in partnership in this way increases our chances of success, in the same way we know keystone species will boost abundance and richness of wildlife.

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

15

BISON ©DONOVAN WRIGHT

And, we can use this approach to inspire and engage others - encouraging them to play their part in achieving Wilder Kent 2030’s ambition through direct advocacy and demonstrating the art of the possible.

Impact Visualisation

2023

Increased nature in the face of a changing climate

Keystone species

G OAL

Subject to feasibility studies

1

European bison

Sea gras

Flagship species Chough

GOAL 1

We defend and restore Ensure that KWTG is delivering the highest possible impact in the face of habitat loss and climate change.

Pine marten

Turtle dove

CONSERVATION GRAZERS

Longhorn cattle

Biodiversity Carbon lockup

CONSERVATION GRAZERS

Iron-age pigs

CONSERVATION GRAZERS

Exmoor ponies

2

CO2

G OAL

CO2

Build a groundswell of support for Wilder Kent 2030: scaling-up our engagement to reach a larger, more diverse range of people.

GOAL 2

We inspire and collaborate

CO2

Engagement +1 °

+1 .1°

+1.2°

+1.25°

+1

2030

What next?

ss

Oysters

Learn more

Red squirrel

Stork

CO2

CONSERVATION GRAZERS

Water buffalo

2 CO

CO2

+1.35°

+1.4°

+1.45°

+1.5°

THANKS TO ©DONOVAN WRIGHT, MARK HABLIN, PAUL NAYLOR

1.3°

Beaver

KWTG contribution to global nature targets Help us deliver Kent’s 30 by 30 2023

2030

Doubling of our

3,600Ha

7,200Ha

landholdings creating quality wildlife habitat

Biodiversity

People taking action for nature

18

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

30%

10%

10%

25%

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises

KWTG are committed to realising the global target of 30% of our land area in management for wildlife by 2030.

To do this we will actively pioneer both NbS and Wilding by innovating, taking calculated risks, demonstrating through doing, and not being scared to fail if things genuinely cannot be made to work.

This will build our brand and reputation based upon action rather than talk. It will enable us to reach a more diverse audience until at least 1 in 4 of Kent’s populace is taking meaningful action for a Wilder Kent, which will further scale our impact (see Fig. 4).

MEADOW ©JON HAWKINS

We will position ourselves for success by becoming a more resilient, demonstrably impactful and sustainable organisation through continual learning from national and international best practice, as well as creating it. We will constantly improve our support systems and processes to enable this, with a particular emphasis on digital transformation. Working in this way will enable us to deliver a Wilder Kent by 2030.

Wilder Kent 2030 | Kent Wildlife Trust

19

Delivery Visualisation

2023

Increased nature in the face of a changing climate DI

RE CT

ERS

T OR

SYS T E M S I

T EN EF

FI

RE

GOAL 3

Divers inco PP

DI

C

Diversify KWTG’s income sources and strengthen its systems, whilst operating sustainably.

Digital development

S YS T E M S

We strengthen and grow

C NT

3

FI

IE

I CT

EF

SU

NCOME

OME

G OAL

INC

Improved membership offer

KWTG Income

CO2

+1 °

+1 .1°

+1.2°

+1.25°

+1.3

2030

OC

AL

I

O DV A

PEOPLE

CO2

I

TY

OF

OF

PEOPLE

TY

High performance workforce

Sustainability

C A CY

ERS

QU

A CY

RT QU

AL

3°

O

sified ome

A

PP

DV

SU

2 CO

CO2

+1.35°

+1.4°

+1.45°

+1.5°

With NbS

Climate resilience

1.5 C O

A safer future living with Nature-based Solutions

With global temperature rise limited to 1.5ºC, we avoid the most severe impacts of the climate crisis.

RE N EW

AB

LES

AB

N

EW

LES

Green Investment RE

N AT

UR

E-

B

S O LU T I O N S

NU

UTRALITY NE

N

O LU T I O N S

DS E AS E-

B

S O LU T I O N S

N

AT U R

S O LU T I O N S

ED

T

E AS -B

ED

AS

IE

RE

AS

Biodiversity Net Gain

TR

N AT U

B

S O LU T I O N S

E-

Habitat Restoration

NU

B

Natural Flood Management

L UTRA ITY

E-

NE

UR

ED

UR

IE T

N AT

AS

N AT

TR

N

DS

ED

O LU T I O N S

AS

Supportive Policy Regulation

Improved Public Health Abundant, climate-resilient landscapes continue to provide vital ecosystem services and enable humanity to thrive.

Economic resilience Supported by a thriving ecological foundation, the global economy becomes stable and livelihoods are protected.

N

AT U R

E-

B

Without NbS

Climate uncertainty On track for a 4ºC world, the world experiences increasingly severe and unprecedented heatwaves, drought and floods.

An uncertain future with a business as usual attitude

NO

N

R

EN

EN

EW

ABLES

ABLES

EW

Pollution

N

R

UR

E

NO

N AT

N

DR

N

GH

N AT

RISK

U S UA L

AS S ES

N

UA L

S U S UA L

SI

S US

BU

SA

A SS

Decreasing public health

E

S U S UA L

ES

Biodiversity Loss

O

E

SA

N

OD

UR

ES

SI

Habitat Degredation

FL

N

K

SI

Extreme weather risk

T RIS

BU

BU

O U

OT

D

PRI

OR ITISE

OR I T I SE

PRI

D

OT

Deregulation

Humanity struggles with food and water availability, increasingly disruptive climatic events and a continued rise in the risk of disease, illness and death.

Economic instability As the ecological foundation of our economy crumbles, the world faces an unprecedented loss of natural capital and livelihoods.

BU

SI

N

ST RATE GY Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3BD Registered Charity No. 239992. A company limited in England and Wales by guarantee 633098.

Registered at the above address.

kentwildlifetrust.org.uk info@kentwildlife.org.uk 01622 662 012

PART OF THE KENT WILDLIFE TRUST GROUP

E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U LTA N T S

24

Kent Wildlife Trust | Wilder Kent 2030

Action and innovation for nature

Conservation Action and Innovation for the Nature and Climate Crises