Appeal launched to extend charity nature reserve At Dunsdon

Devon Wildlife Trust has launched an appeal to its members and local people in the hope that it can raise money to extend one of its nature reserves and preserve some of the county's rarest wildlife. The charity has just been given the chance to add new land to its Dunsdon National Nature Reserve, which lies at the very heart of the Culm Measures in the north west of Devon. The five hectares of SSSI land for sale abut the eastern end of the existing 63 hectare site. The charity has been offered £43,000 towards the purchase by GrantScape, who have funded a wealth of groundbreaking conservation work in this area over the past four years. Devon Wildlife Trust is now looking for another £10,000 in order to complete the purchase. Gary Pilkington, DWT's Senior Reserves Officer said: "Dunsdon is a large reserve that buzzes and bursts with wildlife. Damp acid soils and a history of traditional, sympathetic farming provide ideal conditions for such rare plants as the lesser butterfly orchid, wavy-leaved St John's wort and three-leaved water crowfoot. This rich flora supports an amazing array of other wildlife. Twenty-six species of butterfly make their homes here, including a large nationally important population of rare marsh fritillaries. Breeding birds include herons, skylarks, spotted flycatchers, willow tits and grasshopper warblers. Barn owls hunt over the fields and can sometimes be seen roosting in the trees. The new parcel of land has fantastic potential for these and many other species." The site is also a strategic point on the map for DWT's Working Wetlands team who are helping neighbouring farmers to restore and re-create a network of wildlife habitats on their own holdings around Dunsdon. This gives the new land huge importance as a key link in a chain of joined-up Culm grassland sites. To donate to the appeal either call Devon Wildlife Trust on 01392 279244 or visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org