The National Trust manages few formal nature reserves but the scale of our responsibility for the natural history of England, Wales and Northern Ireland is unrivalled by any other organisation.
The conservation of nature, for the benefit of people, has been at the heart of the Trust’s work, alongside the care of the historic environment, since it was founded over 100 years ago.
One of our earliest acquisitions was part of a nationally important nature reserve at Wicken Fen.
Many prestigious wildlife sites followed, including Cheddar Gorge (1910), Blakeney Point (1912) and the Farne Islands (1925).
Acquisitions of major importance for nature conservation continue to this day with The Mournes (1991), Orford Ness (1993) and a large part of Snowdon (1999) being notable examples.
'Nature and the National Trust' is a new booklet that highlights the importance of our role as a nature conservation body and sets out our Nature Conservation Policy and a Nature Conservation Strategy.
Together they identify priorities for action and a framework for the development of local nature conservation strategies in the context of Region/Country Business Plans and Property Management Plans.
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