OUR STORY:
Establishing balance
Wilba was founded in 2022. Based in Radnorshire, we found there was often resistance between the conservation and agricultural worlds; that it had to be one or the other. We believe it doesn’t have to be this way. That’s why we work with farmers and landowners to create projects on unusable areas of land, meaning that while nature is being given space to thrive, farmers can focus on running their businesses and producing high quality food, content in the knowledge that they are playing a crucial role in nature recovery.
Our Background
Wilba is part of the Marches Business Group. Based in Mid Wales, the directors were aware of the concerns over land being taken out of agricultural use and the wider impacts this would have on rural communities. Rather than donating money to plant trees on the other side of the world for carbon-offsetting, they felt there was something more direct and measurable they could do, and Wilba was born.
The Team
With a genuine passion for nature and the countryside, our members have mixed backgrounds in business, farming and conservation. This gives us a much more balanced approach to projects and a range of skills needed to run an effective non-profit organisation.
Meet our founder, Alice. Having always fostered a love for the natural world, Alice is passionate about having a real, positive impact.
“With no formal ecology training, I am by no means a wildlife expert. However, having grown up in rural Radnorshire, building woodland dens, walking the lanes and learning the names of hedgerow plants with my grandparents, nature has become a fundamental part of who I am and something I need to keep going. The beauty of our local landscape still takes me by surprise each season. I’m passionate about doing something- even if in a small way- that will help preserve and enrich nature for my son and future generations.”
Rachael takes care of the day to day running of Wilba. From a farming background, Rachael cares deeply about the rural community and the countryside which she has grown up in.
“For me Wilba is the perfect balance. I am proud to be part of the farming community and I also care about protecting and enhancing the natural world around us. I find the relationship between farming and sustainability extremely interesting. To be part of something that is helping that relationship is incredible- I am truly passionate about the work that we do”
The rest of the team share their time between their roles within the business group and supporting Wilba with aspects such as business strategy, growth and marketing.
The Project
The total area of the project is 0.3 hectares (3000 square meters). A stream runs down the base of the valley, and over the years has created steep, sloping banks which are now overgrown with bracken. Spanning across the landscape, the area connects to a mature patch of woodland to the West and upland rhos pasture to the East.
By taking straightforward, practical steps, this project will go further in creating a habitat that supports and encourages biodiversity, improves soil health and the surrounding grazing pasture, prevent further erosion during winter storms and reduce surface run-off.
We hope that this project will show how nature recovery doesn’t have to be overly complicated and how creating pockets of habitat on farmland will lead to an incredible network for biodiversity.
What we’ve got planned
The first stage of the project will be to fence off the area, replacing the remains of the old fence line. Firstly, this will allow us to plant trees, which will be crucial to controlling the bracken, improving the soil and reducing the erosion and surface run-off. The fence will also be particularly helpful when young lambs are in the field as currently, they can get stuck down in the stream. We will employ a local contractor to erect the fences and source the materials from a local sawmill.Once the fence is established, we will get to work on reducing the bracken using non-chemical methods. Due to the topography of the land, we believe that crushing and bashing will be the most effective methods of reducing this mono-culture. Once we have achieved this, we will begin planting saplings, which will help to control the bracken in the future. This work will be carried out by volunteers, helping to connect people with nature, immerse individuals in green spaces and educate the public about where their food comes from.
We will plant water loving species such as alder and willow closer to stream and species such as Sessile Oak, Downy Birch, Cherry and Rowan higher up on the slopes at a density of 500 per hectare; therefore 150 saplings will be required for the site.
Wildlife and Biodiversity
Through our conservation efforts we hope to see wildlife numbers increasing at Bracken Gorge and benefits to biodiversity. By improving the conditions of the area, we should start to see a mixture of grasses and herbs in the sward and wildflowers such as meadow-sweet and ragged robin coming through. Insects and amphibians will be drawn to the area, especially because of the flowing water. Kites, buzzards and owls can already be found here; our dream would be to have Curlews nesting at Bracken Gorge.
Breakdown of costs
Our goal is to raise £4000 for this project which will create 3000m2 of habitat. That equates to just £1.33/m2!
We estimate that the cost of the materials and labour for the fencing will be £3600 while the cost of the saplings will be roughly £200 including guards and stakes.
The remaining money will be used to facilitate volunteer access and pay for any equipment or transport that is required.
As we carry out the projects ourselves you can be sure that all the money raised goes directly towards habitat creation. We are quite literally a grass-roots organisation.
Project Benefits
- Creating habitat
- Increasing biodiversity
- Improving our soils
- Reducing surface run-off and erosion
- Connecting people with nature
- Supporting the local community and economy
Why do we need your help?
Together we can help nature, but we can’t do it alone. Our mission is to create pockets of habitat with the vision to encourage and conserve nature. By donating towards this project, you will be directly funding nature restoration here in the UK.
Our projects don’t cost the earth, and we hope to pave the way by showing that nature recovery doesn’t need to cost millions. Whatever you can donate- we are incredibly grateful for your support.