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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£3.7M
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Spending
£3.7M
- Charity no. 101848
- Date registered. 04/03/2015
Public benefits
Ulster Wildlife’s nature reserves protect over 850 ha in Northern Ireland, delivering a local and international public benefit by conserving, restoring and managing a range of significant threatened habitat types – almost half of identified NI priority habitats are represented on our reserves. Public benefit is also derived from conservation of the
gene pool of a range of species; 42% of NI priority species are found on our sites. Our reserves provide a range of ecosystem services including climate regulation, water and air purification and offer amenity value to all members of the public. Ulster Wildlife also carries out a range of education and community engagement projects. Learning in the natural environment provides direct benefits to education, health and well-being as well as indirect benefits ranging from social to financial. Volunteering has been described as the ‘glue that holds societies together’; the United Nations recognised its importance when it declared 2001 the year of volunteering. Contemporary research demonstrates the positive effects of volunteering to ecological restoration. In the UK urban areas make up 9% of the total land area, yet 80% of the population lives there (ONS 2010). Increasing efforts need to be made to re-connect people with nature so that nature’s restorative processes can be realised. Using artistic and cultural activities is another route to understanding the environment, allowing a greater number of people to make a connection with nature indirectly. Exercise and/or volunteering in the natural environment have been shown to have positive effects. The NHS currently reports that exercise can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%. There is also extensive research which demonstrates the role of the natural environment in condition management strategies for a range of illnesses, notably mental health. Private benefit across all our objects is entirely incidental; e.g. the necessary employment of staff to maintain and restore reserves, deliver education programmes, co-ordinate volunteers and deliver projects. No harm arises from any of our purposes.
What your organisation does
Ulster Wildlife is Northern Ireland’s leading local nature conservation charity, working to bring nature back on land and at sea. We are supported by over 14,000 members across Northern Ireland who play a vital role in championing nature’s recovery locally. We deliver our work through: • Restoring, protecting and connecting habitats across
Northern Ireland through the management of nature reserves and wider conservation programmes, including peatland restoration, coastal and marine conservation, and habitat creation and expansion. • Delivering practical conservation action for priority and at-risk species, including barn owls, hedgehogs, red squirrels and native oysters, supporting species recovery and ecosystem resilience. • Advancing marine conservation and blue carbon recovery, including native oyster, salt marsh, and seagrass restoration and work to improve the health of coastal ecosystems. • Working in partnership with landowners, farmers, communities, businesses and public bodies to deliver landscape-scale nature recovery and support a Nature Recovery Network for Northern Ireland. • Inspiring and enabling people to take action for nature through volunteering, citizen science, campaigning and youth and community engagement, helping more people connect with and support nature’s recovery. • Promoting the health and well-being benefits of nature through participation in outdoor conservation activities, volunteering, events and engagement with natural spaces. • Influencing environmental policy and decision-making at a local and national level to secure stronger protections and better outcomes for nature and climate. Our vision is a wilder future where people and nature thrive together. Through our Strategy to 2030, we are working to ensure that at least 30% of land and sea in Northern Ireland is protected, connected and managed for nature by 2030.
The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of environmental protection or improvement
Who the charity helps
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- General public
- Volunteers
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Education/training
- Environment/sustainable development/conservation
- Research/evaluation
- Volunteer development
- Youth development