World leaders will be descending upon the UK in November for COP26, where international approaches to combat climate change will be decided upon nearby in Glasgow. Couple this with the Government committing to a legal requirement for nature’s recovery through an Environment Act, as well as pledging to put 30% of land into protection for wildlife before 2030, and there has never been a more exciting and impactful time to join the cause.
Our natural world is in trouble: 80% of our carbon storing peatlands are damaged; 41% of our insects and pollinators are threatened with extinction; 50% of hedgehogs have been lost from our countryside; and 92% of seagrass beds have been lost around the UK.
However there is still hope. By managing 30% of our land and seas for nature by 2030, we can begin to turn the tide of the ecological and climate emergencies we now face. In Cheshire, 30% equates to doubling the space currently given to wildlife in the region. Double the amount of carbon and water storing trees in the ground. Double the amount of food for our bees and butterflies in wildflower meadows. And double the amount of clean and healthy waterways for our otters and water voles. Could you help them to achieve this?
Cheshire Wildlife Trust are currently hiring for seven people within their growing Nature Recovery team, to deliver work across Cheshire, Halton, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Warrington and Wirral. Successful candidates will be determined to create the change our natural world so desperately needs. As a reward you will spend many days outside in the fresh air, great for physical and mental wellbeing, whilst working with incredible people from all walks of life that share your passion.
Ben Gregory, Area Manager at Cheshire Wildlife Trust says:
“Cheshire Wildlife Trust are looking for passionate and energetic people who share our vision for a Wilder Future. People who can double the space we currently give to nature. Creating and then securing the good management of 30% of land in Cheshire for wildlife will be no easy feat. We need people who can enhance, restore and connect our beautiful natural areas, allowing our native plants and animals the space they need to thrive. We must be ambitious. We cannot fail.
“My favourite part of working at Cheshire Wildlife Trust is being in a job where you can actually see the differences you’re making for wildlife on a daily basis. I’ll never forget when we dug out a large pond on a farm within Cheshire’s Peak District. Being the Peaks, it was tough going and getting large machinery up the steep slopes was a challenge to say the least. With sunshine and rain showers, we eventually got the work done before the sun began to set over the hills. As I stood back to take in our achievement, I heard the now all too rare “cur-lee” call of a curlew.
“Looking into the air, I saw a pair of curlews circling the newly installed pond, searching for an opportunity to land and begin sifting through the mud for tasty worms and insects. These birds, which have been pushed to near extinction in the many areas in the Peaks, now have a perfect feeding ground that we’ve created. That is why I do what I do.”