Devon Wildlife Trust

Both ants have seen dramatic national and local declines in their numbers over the last 150 years, mostly because of the loss of their favoured heathland homes. It’s estimated that the UK’s lowland heaths have shrunk by 85% during that time through changing agricultural land use, the planting of conifer plantations, building and road developments and poor management.

This has led some to conclude that conservation land management is to blame for the increase in fire risk. This is categorically not the case. Indeed, I want to outline here how managing land with the restoration of natural processes in mind can significantly improve resilience to fire, drought and flooding, while benefitting wildlife AND society. The enormously devastating Gironde fire in South West France last month demonstrates this at a vast scale.

50 acres of Mincinglake Valley Park and farmland were hit by a wildfire on the afternoon of Tuesday 11th August. At one stage 20 fire crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service fought the blaze. Severe damage was inflicted on land which is managed by the charity Devon Wildlife Trust on behalf of Exeter City Council, as well as to an area of privately owned land within the Valley Park’s boundaries.

Looking beyond individual applications – Local Plans While individual planning applications often attract the most attention, many of the most important decisions affecting wildlife are made much earlier through Local Plans. Every local planning authority prepares a Local Plan, setting out where new homes, businesses and infrastructure will be built, which areas should be protected and the planning policies that will guide development over the coming years.

We believe that the fire affected about 50 acres of habitat and Trust staff believe it is likely to have damaged fencing and other site infrastructure. No livestock was on site at the time of the fire, and no housing was damaged. Mincinglake Valley Park is home to a range of common and less common wildlife including many plants, songbirds, field voles, butterflies and moths. Matt Boydell, Devon Wildlife Trust Land Manager, has been on site and described the damage as “extensive”.

Thank you to everyone who reported the fire that started at around 2.47pm yesterday (11th August) at Mincinglake Valley Park in Exeter. This Park is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust on behalf of Exeter City Council. We are incredibly grateful for the quick response of the emergency services, who worked tirelessly to bring the fire under control. We are also grateful for the efforts of Devon Wildlife Trust staff, who remained on site to assist the emergency services.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who reported the fire at Barley Valley Park and to the eight firefighter crews fromDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service who worked quickly to bring it under control, protecting the local community and preventing the fire from spreading further. Around 3 acres of grassland, scrub and woodland were sadly lost.

When people hear the term "Marine Protected Area" (MPA), it's easy to assume that these places are fully protected from damaging activities but, unfortunately, that's often not the case. MPAs are meant to provide safe havens where marine life can recover and thrive, supporting biodiversity, healthy fisheries, and the wider ecosystems that our coastal communities depend on. However, designation alone does not guarantee protection.

In 2024, the Two Moors Pine Marten Project reintroduced 15 pine martens to locations on Dartmoor. A further release of 19 pine martens followed on Exmoor in 2025. The reintroductions represented the first attempt to re-establish a sustainable breeding population of the tree-climbing members of the weasel family to the South West since they were hunted to extinction more than 100 years ago.

The team at Devon Wildlife Trust is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Bill Oddie, who was a Vice President of The Wildlife Trusts since 2000 and inspired countless people to discover the joy and wonder of nature through programmes such as Birding with Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch, and more.