Wild Oxfordshire is a local conservation charity with a vision for Oxfordshire’s environment to be rich in nature, healthy and sustainable for the benefit and enjoyment of all. Our focus is on bringing organisations and community groups together to work collaboratively and make this vision a reality. Wild Oxfordshire has three key aims: to stimulate better land management for nature in Oxfordshire; to increase awareness and interest in enhancing Oxfordshire’s nature; and to foster a collaborative and strategic approach to nature conservation in Oxfordshire.
We have produced the State of Nature in Oxfordshire 2017 in order to highlight both the losses and successes across our county, and to encourage increasing engagement with the natural world from all sectors. We host Oxfordshire’s Biodiversity Action Group, the Conservation Target Area process and network, the Evenlode Catchment Partnership. Our staff includes Oxfordshire’s only Natural Flood Management officer and Community Ecologist.
Dr Robin Buxton, an ecologist and passionate advocate of biodiversity, set up the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum to draw together the many interests that touch Oxfordshire’s wildlife and landscape. He was backed by the Oxfordshire County Council, and English Nature. As an innovative and independent network, the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum was the first of its kind in the UK. This vibrant but informal partnership has grown and achieved full charitable status in 2000. In 2014 the Forum was re-named Wild Oxfordshire.
Our work involves sharing information and good practice through conferences, newsletters and email bulletins, influencing decision makers and helping to initiate and drive forward new projects. We focus on areas where our conservation expertise can make a difference such as in community conservation and strategic biodiversity work. We are continually exploring new partnerships to broaden the diversity of community engagement and support the natural heritage of Oxfordshire.
To look at our finances, download our Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 . Past reports can be found on the Charity Commission website.