Take Action for Insects and help tackle this crisis
Insects are dying out up to 8 times faster than larger animals and 41% of insect species face extinction. This is serious for us all as well as wildlife. Insects pollinate three quarters of crops so our food security is at risk. Insects are also the main food source for many birds, small mammals and fish. So if they disappear, so do many of the creatures that we love.
However, the good news is that it’s not too late to act. Insect populations can recover, and we know what needs to be done to save them. By donating to the Action for Insects Appeal, you can help protect the smallest creatures which are essential for Northumberland’s wildlife and agriculture.
Keep Northumberland Buzzing
For years, insects have suffered from loss of habitat from urban development and intensive farming. Wildflower meadows, hedgerows and ponds have all but disappeared. Use of pesticides on farmland, in our parks and on our gardens has vastly increased and is wiping out pollinators. And climate change is harming all those species that can’t adapt quickly enough to changing conditions. All this is having a devastating impact on bug numbers and other wildlife.
We need more bug-friendly habitat – as quickly as we can
With your help from this Appeal we can speed up our work both on our nature reserves and by working in partnership with landowners. You could help pay for specialist staff to provide advice, particularly with new farm incentives coming in. Most of the Wildlife Trusts in the UK are running awareness campaigns and appeals for pollinators so this means we collectively have over 2300 opportunities to improve habitat specifically for these creatures! Let’s show them Northumberland is buzzing and that we care about a wilder future!
Reducing Pesticides
A big part of what we do has to be about changing behaviour. We want to work with schools and run family-friendly events to spread the word to get every home and community space working for nature.
Leaping soldier beetle. Image by: Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hill Photography.
Reversing the Decline of Insects
Every space in Britain must be used to help wildlife.
Help us reach our Appeal target of £30,000
These are the kinds of things we could fund with your support:
Managing meadows more efficiently
Your donation could go towards the cost of specialist meadow management machinery, or provide extra fencing where we use conservation grazing. Invasive plants like Himalayan balsam need constant control so we need help funding volunteer co-ordination, transport, training, equipment and expenses.
Boosting depleted meadows and grasslands
You could help fund seed, plug plants, even a nursery to provide for NWT and partner projects. 10 plug plants from a specialist nursery cost £20.
Increasing public understanding
Your donation could help provide activities, workshops, resources and online information for families and schools. Subsidising just one education day costs from £250.
Providing advice for landowners
You could help us engage a specialist to advise farmers and landowners about new approaches – a 1 day/week adviser would cost approximately £7,000 for a year.
These are some of the NWT nature reserves that need your help:
You can also donate by telephone on (0191) 284 6884 with your credit/debit card.
Thank you for your support
