Last year we announced that we planned to dispose of a number of our nature reserves. We shared our reasons for doing so as follows:

"Since the Trust formed, our approach to acquisition and disposal has changed and some sites gifted to us in the past today offer limited opportunity for nature’s recovery in comparison to other sites within our connected living landscapes. With our new 2023-2026 strategy in place we are working hard to ensure the sites we have in our portfolio going forward, support nature’s recovery, are aligned the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and have notable ecological value. Whilst owning and managing nature reserves for wildlife and for people remains core to our approach we are increasingly endeavouring to work with other landowners to improve wildlife connectivity, effecting positive change for nature’s recovery at a landscape scale.

"While these sites were excellent additions to our estate, we have now reached the point where we own or lease more sites than we have resources to ensure each site is managed really well – our reserves team is spread too thin across too many sites and we don’t have the resources to increase the size of that team. Some of the sites we look after are not in Herefordshire. We have therefore taken the decision to review our estate and dispose of a number of sites to allow us to better invest our time and energy on those larger, better connected nature reserves where we can make a greater difference for wildlife and people.

"Each site put forward for disposal by the staff team is carefully assessed and considered by our Acquisitions and Disposals Committee (comprised of Trustees), with input from our Nature Recovery Advisory Group, which then makes a recommendation to our full Board of Trustees for final decision. The sites we have chosen to divest are those which are either small or isolated, lie outside of a strategic landscape recovery area, are outside the county of Herefordshire, are of lower ecological value or have poor access for routine maintenance and visitors."

You can read our last update in full here: https://www.herefordshirewt.org/blog/nature-reserves-update-our-strategy

Of the seven sites originally identified for sale, it was decided that Wyevale Wood should remain owned and managed by the Trust, as should Foxholes (part of Tretawdy) Farm). 

Rookhill Coppice (near Whitbourne) was sold earlier this year. 

Upper Swingley Coppice, Romers Wood and Motlins Hole and Merrivale Wood are now being marketed for sale by Sunderlands.

Once these sales are completed, the Reserves Acquisitions and Disposals Committee (a sub committee of the Board of Trustees) will again review our estate holdings with a view to dispose of several more nature reserves, in line with our strategy. 

Income from the sale of reserves will be partly reinvested into the management of our estate (including funding staff time, management, tools and equipment and training) and partly saved within our financial reserves.

For more information, please contact us at enquiries@herefordshirewt.co.uk