Help us raise £30,000 to help rewet, restore and rewild wetland habitats, and reintroduce lost species which will benefit entire ecosystems.
From rivers and ponds to wet woods, grassland and heathland, these habitats are vital for Surrey’s wildlife and for the resilience of our landscapes.
Your support will help create healthier, wilder wetlands that make our county more resilient against fire and flood as the climate changes. By doing this, we’ll restore the conditions hundreds of species need to thrive – and make people and our economy safer too.
It’s all part of our £1m Save Surrey’s Nature appeal, designed to kickstart the big changes we need to restore wildlife and make life better for people too.
Give wetlands a wilder future
Every donation will help Surrey Wildlife Trust protect, restore and reconnect precious wetland habitats across the county.
£60 pays for a pair of chest waders to help our volunteers clear up a wetland habitat
£200 pays for a lab test to check the impact of runoff from roads
£500 funds a day's work on our Wetlands Inventory, helping our ecologists map Surrey's key wetland sites and what lives there so we can protect them more effectively
£1,000 supports a volunteering session clearing overgrown bankside vegetation and helping light reach life-giving aquatic plants
£3,000 funds the creation of a berm to slow the flow of a watercourse and create perfect spawning conditions for fish and invertebrates
Climate change resilience
Climate change is bringing hotter, drier periods in summer and we are seeing more intense and prolonged rainfall in winter, while pollution, development and water abstraction are putting further pressure on our rivers, ponds and wetlands.
We must restore and extend wetland habitats so they can be part of the fightback - acting as firebreaks, cooling the wider landscape, and providing liveable spaces for all life.
We're also working to restore lost native species, like Eurasian Beavers and Water Voles, that act as ecosystem engineers - extending and improving wetland habitats in places like Thundry Meadows, and helping hundreds of other species, including frogs, newts, dragonflies and potentially Otters, to thrive across our county.
Rewetting heathlands and reserves
By diverting or damning existing watercourses and digging out silt and soil where appropriate, we’re helping heathlands and other reserves hold onto water for longer, making them more resilient to drought and creating wetter conditions for wildlife.
Restoring ghost ponds
There could be as many as 4,000 ‘ghost ponds’ across Surrey that have been filled in or lost, but may still hold the seeds of aquatic plants beneath the soil. We’re exploring how these lost habitats could be brought back to life.
Rewilding wetlands and rivers
Working with landowners and conservationists across Surrey to bringin wetland areas and banksides to life for hundreds of species. By working in partnership across entire river catchments and floodplains and using nature-based solutions like natural food management to slow the flow of floodwater, we’ll create the conditions needed for plants, insects, fish, birds and mammals to flourish on a landscape level.
Reintroducing ecosystem engineers
Bringing back species such as Water Voles and Eurasian Beavers will help shape and improve wetland habitats, reducing the impacts of flood and drought and creating better conditions for hundreds of other species.
This year, we worked with a partnership led by National Trust to reintroduce Water Voles to the River Wey at Thundry Meadows.
These small but important mammals help shape their wetland environment through their burrowing and feeding. But bringing a species back is only the beginning. For Water Voles to survive and thrive, they need healthy, connected wetlands.
That’s why our long-term plan looks at the bigger picture: restoring habitats, improving water quality, reconnecting wildlife corridors and creating the conditions nature needs to recover.
We’re also working to reintroduce nature’s ultimate wetland engineers, Eurasian Beavers, to Surrey. By building dams and slowing the flow of water, Beavers can create pools and wet habitats where plants, insects, frogs, fish and birds can thrive.
When we give nature the right conditions, it can restore itself.
We manage important wetland reserves including Vann Lake, Thundry Meadows, The Moors, and Papercourt Meadows, carrying out practical conservation work to keep these habitats healthy and wildlife-rich.
Your support could help us:
Manage wetland vegetation and create better conditions for wildlife
Monitor and improve the health of Surrey’s rivers and wetlands.
Improve water quality and river habitats
Map and understand Surrey’s wetlands through our ambitious Wetlands Inventory
Work with communities, farmers, anglers and partners to implement nature-based solutions and protect, extend and connect local wetlands
Restore lost or damaged ponds
Wilder wetlands are good for people too
Healthy wetlands don’t just benefit wildlife. They can hold back floodwater, cool the landscape, deliver cleaner water and provide beautiful places for people to explore and enjoy.
By restoring wetlands and making more space for nature, we can help create a more resilient Surrey.
Working together for healthier wetlands
The change we need can’t be delivered by one organisation alone.
We work with volunteers, local communities, anglers, businesses and farmers, as well as partners including South-East Rivers Trust, Surrey Nature Partnership and other members of the Wey, Mole and Medway catchment partnerships.
Together, we’re restoring bankside habitats, removing litter, reducing pollution, planting and managing native vegetation, creating shallow and meandering areas for wildlife and monitoring water quality.
Every restored wetland, healthy riverbank and newly created pond can make a big difference for local wildlife – but our ambitions are county-wide.
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More ways to help...
There are lots of things you can do to help Surrey’s wetlands:
Use water wisely -Reduce pressure on rivers and wetlands by using water sparingly at home.
Prevent pollution - Dispose of household waste, chemicals and DIY products responsibly. Never pour them down drains. Only use your lavatory to dispose of the ‘three Ps’ - pee, poo and (toilet) paper!
Make space for water and wildlife - Plant your garden to help absorb rainwater, choose permeable surfaces such as gravel rather than concrete, or create your own mini-wetland. Visit our guide to creating a pond.
Get involved - Volunteer with Surrey Wildlife Trust or a local conservation group to help care for wetland habitats.
Enjoy your local wetlands - Visit your local river, canal, lake or pond and discover the wildlife on your doorstep.
