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< Wildlife Management A WildCRU Outreach Initiative: Combining Conservation with Rehabilitation

One of WildCRU's key objectives is to encourage interest and participation in conservation, particularly from within local communities. Our Volunteer Programme (in Collaboration with Earthwatch and the Mammals Trust UK) allows many members of the public to join in with our fieldwork, while learning new conservation skills. However, to truly make our work as broadly accessible as possible, WildCRU has begun a co-operation with the Ley Community, a drugs and alcohol rehabilitation centre near Oxford, to get reforming addicts into the field to appreciate and enjoy nature and to broaden their horizons.

Why is this project important?

There are many benefits to be gained from such a long-term study, but the following are worth special note:

1) The undoubted positive contribution to the Ley Rehabilitation programme.
2) The continued preservation of the Wytham estate, securing an important part of the national heritage for future generations, improving access for greater use by all sections of the public, and (in its combined functional and charitable use), providing an exemplar of a sustainable 21st century community.
3) The acquisition of data on British mammals that can be analysed and published, and that may contribute to government conservation policy and environmental best practice (see BBC Wildlife Magazine "Squaring the Circle" article, July 2003.
4) The continuous improvement of our understanding of wildlife and conservation needs and better biodiversity management skills
5) The ability to test the veracity and accuracy of volunteer-collected data in comparison with data collected by professional researchers

The Ley Community is very enthusiastic about the programme as results to-date suggest that volunteering significantly enhances participant self-esteem and actually reduces the likelihood of re-offending. WildCRU has found that volunteers, and especially clients from rehabilitation, make excellent field assistants and collect good quality data.

How is this project making a difference?

Deliverables

This project served as pilot study for volunteer evaluation and has become integrated into the new National Mammal Tracking Partnership (set up by the JNCC to monitor trends in British mammal populations). The additional research that these volunteers enable us to perform reveals a suite of new questions - and it is this tier of more involved investigation that is being addressed through the Ley Community work placement scheme.

 

Cascade effects

The scheme has real value not only to WildCRU and to conservation nationally, but also in the provision of an opportunity for these volunteers to begin their reintegration into society, and to develop an alternative interest. In 2001, the Charity Finance Award Scheme (sponsored by Chiswell Associates Ltd.) recognised the value of this collaboration to both conservation and the community with their 'Animals and Environment' award.

How can you help? This project currently runs at a shortfall of nearly £13,000 pa. We are seeking to make up this difference through additional donations - the only alternatives are to reduce our operating costs (i.e. conduct less research) or, as happens at present, to continue to pay one of our full-time professional researchers only a part-time salary.

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