A conservation charity is looking to raise £500,000 to protect a site that includes a habitat as rare as a rainforest.
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust has launched a fundraising appeal to buy and manage Archers Green in Tewin, near Welwyn Garden City.
Sitting in the Mimram Valley, a priority area for conservation action, this 20-acre site supports some of our most iconic, yet threatened wildlife, such as water vole, skylark and harebell.
It is home to lowland meadows, wet woodland, marsh and chalk stream – all of which are priorities for protection.
Archers Green flanks the River Mimram, which is one of just 240 chalk streams in the entire world, and the stretch that runs through the site is one of the very best in the county.
These unique river systems are extremely rare, and support some of our most endangered species – they are the UK’s equivalent to tropical rainforests.
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust needs to raise £500,000 to secure this important site. Without purchasing and safeguarding Archers Green, its future and the wonderful wildlife it's home to could be at risk.
Lesley Davies, the Trust’s chief executive, said: “Securing the future of wild places like Archers Green is crucial for our planet and our local community.
"The complex of habitats at Archers Green is what makes it so special and home to so many different plants and animals and is why the site is a priority for the Trust to give it a secure future and manage it positively to benefit its wildlife.
"Nature is in crisis and we urgently need to protect more land for wildlife hence The Wildlife Trust’s ambitious strategy to achieve 30 per cent of land connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030 – buying Archers Green takes us one step closer to that.”
The hope is that people and businesses will also recognise the importance of safeguarding this piece of our natural heritage.
When the Trust saw Archers Green come up for sale, they had to act fast to stop the site from falling into unsympathetic hands.
It secured a philanthropic loan which enabled the site to be taken off the market. Now they must raise the money to pay back the loan and care for the site for the future.
If the Trust doesn’t manage to raise the cash needed, the site may have to go back on the open market, which risks the loss of its wildlife, including water voles, the UK’s fastest declining mammals.
Sarah Perry, the Trust’s river catchment co-ordinator, said: “The location of Archers Green is especially important as it provides a vital link with nearby sites, helping to secure and strengthen a wildlife corridor along the Mimram Valley and creating more space for nature in the local area.
"To the west, upstream on the Mimram chalk river, wildlife thrives on the Trust’s Tewinbury Nature Reserve, and to the east at Panshanger Park, we are able to care for wildlife through our partnership project there.
"Archers Green is a vital piece in the jigsaw. Without that connection, wildlife could be left isolated, decreasing its resilience to other threats, including climate change.”
The Hertfordshire State of Nature report details that only 16 per cent of semi-natural habitat covers Hertfordshire and that in the 50 years between 1970 and 2020 of the 7,696 species assessed, 1 per cent have become extinct and a further 19 per cent are threatened with extinction.
As a county, Hertfordshire has already lost the nightingale, white-clawed crayfish, and the beautiful sight of the burnt orchid.
To find out more about the fundraising appeal for Archers Green or to donate to secure and protect it, go to www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/archersgreen
Why Archers Green is so important
Archers Green sits in the Mimran Valley in Tewin, near Welwyn Garden City.
The 20-acre site is home to priority habitats, identified in the Hertfordshire State of Nature Report, including lowland meadows, wet woodland, marsh and chalk stream.
Its importance is recognised through its designation as a Local Wildlife Site.
Flowing through Archers Green is the River Mimram – one of 240 chalk streams globally. This is an internationally important habitat, and this particular stretch of river is one of the Mimram’s best.
The river is flanked by nature-rich grassland and within the meadows rare plants such as Whorl-grass, Marsh Valerian, harebell, and Marsh Ragwort thrive.
Five species of bat have been recorded at Archers Green so far – the common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, noctule, Leisler’s and Daubenton’s, along with grass snake, water vole, otter, and three red-listed water beetles.
The land is home to a wide variety of birds from yellowhammer, redwing, grey partridge and skylark to cuckoo, marsh tit, water rail, and snipe.
Public access to Archers Green is restricted to the fenced public footpath which passes through the site and which is part of the long-distance Hertfordshire Chain Walk.
Archers Green is also connected to other sites of importance for wildlife.
It is adjacent to Panshanger Park and just one mile from Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust’s Tewinbury Nature Reserve.
All three of these sites are connected by the River Mimram.
About Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust – hertswildlifetrust.org.uk
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is a local conservation charity working to protect wildlife and help people connect with nature.
It believes that wildlife should have space to thrive alongside our everyday lives and that everyone benefits from having access to nature.
The Trust’s team works with more than 600 volunteers to care for over 40 nature reserves across Hertfordshire and Middlesex.
Hertfordshire State of Nature Report
Hertfordshire’s State of Nature Report brings together the story of our county’s wildlife over the past 50 years.
The report assesses over 7,500 different species and how their numbers have changed between 1970 and 2020.
The results are based on over 2.8 million species records held by the Herts Environment Records Centre.
Taking inspiration from the national State of Nature report, first published in 2013, this report is the first of its kind to focus in such detail on Hertfordshire’s wildlife and wild places.
For more, visit https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/stateofnature#report
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here