Our Vision – Why, How, What, and an Invitation to Get Involved

OUR VISION

Protecting and restoring Devon’s natural beauty by funding local nature regeneration:

  • At least 30% of Devon ‘for nature’ by 2030.
  • Enabling local nature recovery by protecting and restoring at least 30% of Devon’s land and water by 2030.
  • Working with local partners to implement bold nature regeneration projects that can be replicated and scaled.
  • Our areas of interest are: Landscape Regeneration, River Restoration, and Marine Conservation.

 

WHY

We have created climate and nature emergencies:

  • Most of us take more from nature than we give back.
  • Our health, wealth, and happiness depend on thriving nature.
  • Recent decades have seen staggering declines in wildlife.
  • This is the decisive decade to create a legacy of nature restoration.
  • Nature-based Solutions (NbS) tackle both the climate and biodiversity crises, repairing the damage we have caused.
  • Devon is the perfect place to scale NbS: the county spans two coastlines, with plenty of green space in between.
  • It is one of the largest, least densely populated counties, offering an abundance of nature regeneration opportunities.

 

HOW

Channelling funds from businesses & philanthropists to grassroots nature regeneration projects:

  • Helping donors achieve net zero emissions by coupling their carbon reductions with our nature regeneration projects.
  • Tapping into our network of experts to ensure we support the projects offering the largest returns for nature.
  • Seeking to build local coalitions that catalyse systemic change.
  • Filling a gap by being agile, unbureaucratic, and ‘getting stuff done’.
  • Providing projects with vital funds to scale their impact.
  • Attracting new sources of environmental funding by showcasing what can be achieved by nature regeneration.
  • Pooling funds and creating leverage for each donor to share in the successes generated by total DEF funds raised.

 

WHAT

Here’s a flavour of some of the projects in our pipeline:

  • Woodland establishment – empowering communities to grow their own saplings from locally collected seeds, setting up more community nurseries as hubs to share best practice and encourage the creation of new woodland areas of all sizes
  • Farming with nature – supporting regenerative agriculture initiatives seeking to measure the environmental and human benefits and prove economic viability so practices can be scaled
  • Meadow restoration – replicating the successful Dartmoor model to encourage landowners across Devon to restore this vital habitat, creating natural corridors that increase biodiversity
  • Marine aquaculture – helping to scale innovative kelp/mussel farming to prove the economic and environmental viability of ‘blue carbon’ projects
  • Preventing & clearing plastic pollution – enabling the replication of educational ‘plastic fishing’ trips for tourists & the local community, reaching difficult-to-access places along Devon’s rivers, estuaries and coastlines

 

GET INVOLVED

Most of us have taken more than we give back to nature. Supporting the DEF is an effective way to give back.

You can get involved and give back to nature by supporting our work in any of the following ways:

  • Donate: provide financial support so we can distribute funds to the most effective projects
  • Fundraise: organise an event, party, or activity to generate more funds for the projects we support
  • Revenue Sharing: collaborate with us by donating a proportion of your sales to support our projects
  • Introduce Us: help raise our profile locally by introducing us to potential donors, project partners, volunteers or anyone else you think we should know
  • Offer Services: we appreciate offers of pro bono skills or services to help keep our overheads minimal
  • Volunteer: if you have time to spare there are many ways you can volunteer with us directly or with one of the organisations we support, please get in touch to discuss your preferences.

We’re very grateful for any support you feel able to give!

For more information, contact Amanda Keetley via amanda@devonenvironment.org, +44 7795 514968 or on social media: @devon_enviro.

 

Find out more about how we intend to protect and restore nature in Devon in the Devon Environment Foundation Brochure below: