How you can help

It's everybody's responsibility to protect Kent's wildlife and habitats and so conserve Kent's biodiversity.

Don't worry if you can't spare a lot of time. There are lots of activities you can get involved with to help us. You can put in as much or as little time as you wish.

This way, we can all play a part in helping to protect and enhance our natural environment.

Volunteering

Councils, organisations and charities can't do everything to protect and enhance Kent's wildlife and habitats. Volunteers play a huge role in getting the job done.

For information on volunteering look at the Countryside Management Partnerships volunteering page or the 'Get involved' page on the Kent Biodiversity Partnership website.

Wildlife recording

In order to protect what we have, we need good quality biological information about the status of particular species and habitats.

This includes finding out how many of them there are, and the conditions of their habitats. As this changes over time, it's vitally important that we record this sort of information over time.

The Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre is a charity, supported by Kent County Council and other partners. Its role is to support and assist those individuals and groups who collect natural history information. It also collates and stores the recorded information onto a central database and makes this available to view.

To find out more about how you can get involved in recording, or to send your observations of any wildlife in Kent, contact the Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre.

Creating areas for nature

Even the smallest piece of ground can be transformed into a valuable habitat for nature. You can download a pack with lots of ideas, whether you want to encourage wildlife within school grounds, in a community space, in your own back garden or merely on a small rooftop.

This pack has been created by the Countryside Management Partnerships on behalf of the Kent Biodiversity Partnership and you can find more information and download the pack here.

How businesses can help

Enhancing biodiversity in and around your workplace is excellent for both wildlife and your business. It creates an inviting environment for staff and clients, it improves public perception and customer approval, and it provides fantastic publicity.

For more information and advice on how your business can make a difference for wildlife look at the Kent Biodiversity Partnership 'Get involved' page for business.

How developers can help

Increased development pressures are affecting the whole South East.

For this reason, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has developed a project called Building for Nature.

Its aims are to minimise the impact of building development on the environment and to seek positive gains for our wildlife in new developments.

Even though it is frequently thought that any development means environmental destruction, this need not be the case. Correct guidance and advice at the design and planning stages can protect and enhance our natural environment.

Please visit SEEDA's Building for Nature project website.

If you would like more information on the project, please read the supplementary planning guidance for biodiversity conservation.