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Connecting Communities, Protecting Wildlife
South Warwickshire is home to an incredible variety of wildlife habitats. However, nature is now facing a critical tipping point. Human activities are placing immense pressure on wildlife and ecosystems, pushing them to the edge.
This local reality echoes the findings of the State of Nature 2023 report, which highlights a worrying trend: over the past 50 years, human impact has caused a dramatic decline in the UK’s wildlife.
There is hope – by raising public awareness and actively protecting and improving wildlife habitats, we can help nature thrive once more, ensuring that future generations can enjoy a rich and vibrant natural world.
In response, a growing network of community volunteers has come together under the name South Warwickshire Area Network for Wildlife (SWAN). Our members support each other and collaborate with individuals, local councils, schools, colleges, churches, businesses, wildlife organisations, and landowners to drive positive environmental change.
Community involvement will be vital to the success of the new Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Warwickshire. This initiative builds on the existing Warwickshire, Coventry & Solihull Local Biodiversity Action Plan, and together, we can help shape a better future for wildlife.
Current Projects & Initiatives
Monitoring our Barn Owls
Barn owls are widely distributed across Britain but it is difficult to monitor nocturnal species and so their total numbers are unknown. However, a variety of wildlife groups send information to…
Protecting our Hedgehogs
Numbers of rural hedgehogs have declined nationally by between 30 – 75% since 2000. However, they are showing signs of recovery in urban and suburban areas.
Curlew Recovery Project
Across the UK, the population has halved in the past 25 years and they are now a ‘Red List’ species, meaning they are at urgent risk of extinction.
River Hope
River Hope is a grassroots movement based in the Stratford-on-Avon District of South Warwickshire. It brings together individuals, community groups and local organisations to reflect on their relationships with water in all its states…
Dark Skies
Light pollution is a very recent problem in historical terms and has only become seriously intrusive in the last 50 years or so. The night sky is one of the few real ‘mysteries’ remaining, and light pollution limits the ability of…
Saving our Swifts
The Swift (Apus apus) is the long-distance migrant most associated with people, as it nests among urban dwellings. In early May, Swifts return to Britain and Ireland and are celebrated as harbingers of summer.
Local Nature Action Plans
All local authorities, including Town and Parish Councils, must consider what they can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity, agree policies and objectives – and act to deliver these.
SWAN Book Notes
This SWAN page is about the power of reading to bring people closer to nature, in our increasingly virtual, disconnected, doom-scrolling world. While there is no substitute for getting out…
Warwickshire Biological Records Centre
We collate, manage and share trusted information about species, habitats and geological and ecological sites to support conservation, land management, research and evidence-based decision making.
Join us today!
Help support nature’s recovery across South Warwickshire
Latest News
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Beautiful World Concert
On the evening of 18th October, an enthusiastic audience was treated to a wonderful concert in Holy Trinity Church, packed-full of very talented artistes and musicians. The aim in staging it was “to reflect on the world we live in and the one we want to create.” FEVER, the opening number sung by Janie Dee,…
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Good news for butterflies at Moreton Morrell!
🦋 Post by David Edwards from the Moreton Morrell Wildlife Group. We’re delighted to be moving forward with plans to make the Moreton Morrell College Wildlife Walk even better for wildlife. Following the award of a £2,800 grant from Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, we met at the college on Friday 16 October to identify two promising…
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Science for hedgehogs at Wellesbourne Innovation Campus
The National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme (NHMP) is a ground-breaking nationwide research project that is exploring the feasibility of utilising wildlife trail cameras to provide accurate population estimates for elusive (and thus difficult to survey) species, using hedgehogs as a case study. There are only a few sites selected to participate in Warwickshire, and the University…
Upcoming Events
British Bats, their Ecology and Conservation (online)
This six-part online course is designed for those new to bats and wanting to develop a broader understanding of the species we have here in the UK, their ecology and …
November 5 @ 7:00 pm - December 10 @ 8:30 pmThe People’s Emergency Briefing
Friday 6th November Greener Ettington are screening The People’s Emergency Briefing at Ettington Community Centre. 7:00pm start. Doors and bar open at 6:30pm. Free but please book a ticket using …
November 6 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pmRAAR Turns 1!
One year of bringing people together to love our rivers. A year ago, River Arrow & Alne Revival launched with a vision: to bring our community together to restore, protect …
November 8 @ 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
