Conservation In The Wild

In-Situ conservation is where conservation efforts are made to protect a species in its natural habitat. For example; the introduction of protected conservation areas for a particular species.

Woodside actively supports two main In-Situ conservation projects:

Wildcats Conservation Alliance

This fantastic conservation charity focuses on Wild Tigers and Amur Leopards and their struggle in the wild. With projects currently in Sumatra, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Thailand and Russia, the aim of the Wildcat Conservation Alliance is to ensure wild cats can continue to thrive in the wild.

At Woodside we regularly hold fundraising days throughout the year to financially support these conservation efforts, where 100% of donations go to the Wildcat Conservation Alliance.

See their amazing work, and maybe even donate here: https://conservewildcats.org/

Silent Forest

This is the first EAZA conservation campaign focused primarily on birds, particularly songbirds of Southeast Asia. Songbirds have become the subject of an excessive and strong culturally rooted consumption for trade, singing competitions, pet trade, export traditional medicine and food.

Woodside has proudly raised a significant amount of money over the past several years to financially support this campaign, with 50% of the funds raised specifically being allocated to the Bali Starling project.

Find out more about the campaign here: https://www.silentforest.eu/

Local Conservation

Being located in beautiful rural Lincolnshire, local conservation is very close to the heart of Woodside. We actively support numerous local conservation projects, both financially and physically.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Managing and maintaining nearly 100 nature reserves throughout the county, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is dedicated to protecting our most vulnerable wild species throughout Lincolnshire. You will regularly see the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust stand at Woodside, encouraging the education and recruitment of new members, both young and old.

Find out what you can do to help local wildlife here: https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/

British Trust for Ornithology

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is a UK charity, focusing on understanding birds and in particular, how and why wild bird populations are changing. Their vision is a world where people are “Inspired by birds and informed by science.”

With over 140 nest boxes on-site, Woodside supports the British Trust for Ornithology by providing suitable locations for the research and monitoring of wild bird species.

You can see the work the BTO does here: https://www.bto.org/

Grey Partridge Conservation Project

With modern farming methods becoming more intensive, our native bird species are at constant threat of decline. Woodside works closely with local farmers and land-owners, under guidance from Game and Wildlife Conservation Trusts, in order to try and reverse this trend.

Find out about the work of the Game and Wildlife Trust here: https://www.gwct.org.uk/

Grab that Gap

BIAZA’s ‘Grab That Gap’ is an on-going In-Situ project aimed to increase the wild biodiversity within every collection in the UK. By leaving specific areas of the park to grow naturally, the increased flora will attract a wealth of birds and insects, who otherwise may have struggle to find a reliable food source.

Find out more about the project here: https://biaza.org.uk/grab-that-gap/

Natural Flora and Fauna

With such a huge focus on the big, impressive headline species, such as the Bengal Tiger, or the constantly-active Humboldt Penguin, sometimes local wildlife gets overlooked. At Woodside, we have always made sure that our growth and development does not impact local wildlife negatively. As you walk around the park, keep an eye out for:

• Flowerbeds filled with plants and flowers to attract native butterflies and bees
• Log stacks and stick piles to allow shelter for wild hedgehogs and small rodents
• A very large pond, specifically made over twenty years ago by ourselves for nature to take hold, and is now currently home and feeding grounds to a variety of fish, heron, kestrels, owls, songbirds, doves, field mice, voles, amphibians and much more!