Gardeners pledge their plots to World Land Trust as charity launches Great Garden Give campaign to save threatened habitats
(PRWEB UK) 29 June 2014 -- Green-fingered folk across the UK are being given the chance to save some of the world’s most threatened habitats and species, simply by donating their garden as part of the Great Garden Give – a new fundraiser from international conservation charity World Land Trust.
Backed by keen gardeners and high-profile conservationists, including Bill Oddie and Chris Packham, the charity wants people to pledge their plots so it can carry on its work extending protected nature reserves across the globe.
Launched today (June 27) and running until July 13, the campaign calls on anyone with a garden to estimate its size in square metres, enter the amount into a calculator on the World Land Trust website, and then make the suggested donation (2.5p per square metre or £2.50 for the average-sized UK garden of 100 square metres).
Each donation will allow the charity to secure the future of the same-sized area of rainforest, or other threatened habitat, in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia or Mexico through its Buy an Acre projects.
World Land Trust Chief Executive John Burton says that this campaign is a great way for gardeners to do their bit for world conservation.
He said: “The Great Garden Give is a quick, easy, and affordable way for gardeners all over Britain to show they care about the future of the wild world – not just in their own backyards, but in areas all over the planet where vital habitats are shrinking fast, and threatened species could soon be lost forever.”
The campaign is aimed at anyone who enjoys spending time in their garden, however big or small.
Passionate birdwatcher, broadcaster, and World Land Trust ambassador, Bill Oddie, is giving his own garden in support of the campaign.
He says: “I can honestly say my day is not complete if I don’t spend at least half an hour in my garden. It is an escape, a retreat, and a playground. It is also my own little nature reserve. My garden is, I admit, somewhat quirky. My wife calls it ludicrous. Fair enough, but it's mine!”
World Land Trust is using the campaign to promote better eco-awareness at home, as well as abroad, creating a list of conservation gardening tips to help people look after the wildlife on their doorstep.
These include creating a pond to attract newts, frogs, and toads; choosing scented and nectar-bearing shrubs such as honeysuckle and buddleia to attract butterflies and moths; planting native flowers that birds can feed on; and thinking twice before tidying up – sheds and barns can provide a wealth of sites for wildlife, including swallows and bats.
World Land Trust Patron, Chris Packham, is excited by this educational element of the campaign.
Speaking about his own garden, he says: “I'm the warden of my little reserve and when something flies or scurries in or blooms, I get an extra buzz. Over the last couple of years, I've been getting rid of the lawn and seeding a mini wildflower meadow, creating a bee and butterfly bonanza – fabulous. Making a difference in your own backyard is so rewarding.”
Other well-known supporters of the Great Garden Give include former England cricket captain and World Land Trust patron, David Gower OBE, former Kew Gardens director Sir Ghillean Prance, as well as former Royal Horticultural Society council member Sir Kenneth Carlisle and his wife, the former Country Life columnist and author Carla Carlisle.
ITV Countrywise and BBC Bang Goes the Theory presenter Liz Bonnin is also backing the campaign, along with broadcaster Wincey Willis, former Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton, and BBC One Show wildlife reporter Mike Dilger.
The Great Garden Give is one of a number of initiatives being launched by World Land Trust this year to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It is being promoted on the charity’s social media channels, with Garden Givers being offered the chance to win National Garden Gift Vouchers through a dedicated Facebook competition. http://www.facebook.com/worldlandtrust
Over the last 25 years, World Land Trust has been instrumental in the purchase and protection of more than half a million acres of rainforest and other land so that animals, including orangutans, elephants, big cats, and birds can thrive and survive in their natural habitats.
The world’s tropical forests are currently being chopped down at more than twice the rate they were 50 years ago. They and the wildlife they sustain will be gone within 50 years if the current rate of destruction continues.
Of the Trust’s work, patron Sir David Attenborough says, “In a world where forests are lost before our eyes and wildlife is struggling to survive, I take heart in the fact that WLT and their overseas partners never take their eye off the ball. They are going to save as much of the planet’s threatened habitats as they can and I am right behind them."
For more information about the Great Garden Give and to make a donation, go here:
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/great-garden-give
About:
World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity, which protects the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats acre by acre. Since its foundation in 1989, WLT has funded partner organisations around the world to create privately owned nature reserves, and give permanent protection to habitats and wildlife.
The mission of the World Land Trust is:
- To protect and sustainably manage natural ecosystems of the world
- To conserve their biodiversity, with emphasis on threatened habitats and endangered species
- To develop partnerships with local individuals, communities and organisations to engage support and commitment among the people who live in project areas
- To raise awareness, in the UK and elsewhere, of the need for conservation, to improve understanding and generate support through education, information and fundraising
The Great Garden Give is supported by the Horticultural Trades Association and wild bird feed specialists Haith’s
WLT is a registered charity: 1001291 http://www.worldlandtrust.org
Ellen Cave, Tribe PR, http://www.worldlandtrust.org/great-garden-give, +44 1603 417722, [email protected]
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