Reconomy extends partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust to protect endangered species and boost biodiversity

Reconomy, the international circular economy specialist, is pleased to announce that it has extended its partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust and the Clee  View Farmers  Group, first launched in 2023, to create a new wildlife corridor known as the Hazel Dormouse highway.

The project has involved linking up fragmented habitats through the planting of new trees along with interconnecting hazel hedgerows at three regional Shropshire farms to protect the endangered Hazel Dormouse, a key indicator of ecosystem health. These three farms include Bodbury Farm which planted 0.2 hectares of hazel & willow coppice; Holly Bush Farm which planted 306 metres of hedgerow; and Ruthall Farm which planted 431 metres of hedgerow to connect to known dormouse habitats.

Key highlights of the project

  • 3,364 new trees planted, which once mature will mitigate around 74 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year
  • Over 700 metres of new and enhanced hedgerow planted tailored to dormouse needs, including 2,948 hazel and fruiting saplings
  • 2 hectares of new hazel woodland, adding a further 416 hazel saplings
  • Seven areas of woodland connected by the new corridor
  • Long-term management agreements in place to ensure plant survival and the replacement of unsuccessful plants for six years
  • Local family farms supported in delivering nature recovery

 

Since the project launched in 2023, colleagues from Reconomy’s nearby Telford office, in Shropshire, including the Executive team, have volunteered their time on multiple occasions to assist with the clearing and replanting of hedgerows. More volunteering opportunities are planned before the end of 2025.

Commenting, Diane Crowe, Group Sustainability Director at Reconomy, said:

“As a company that is passionate about driving the circular economy to create a more sustainable waste-free world, we are delighted to extend our partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust to support their important work. This project will make a tangible difference by capturing carbon, increasing biodiversity and protecting nature. We look forward to our colleagues playing a key role in this project and to assisting the National Hazel Dormouse Monitoring Programme in the next season.”

Commenting Luke Neal, Head of Landscape Recovery, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said:

“We are hugely grateful to Reconomy for investing in this important scheme to work with local farmers restoring Dormouse populations. Dormice are threatened and vulnerable because they require connected hedgerows to move from woodland to woodland. We are very fortunate to have them in the Clee Hills, their most Northerly range in England. The Clee View Farmer Group love their Dormouse population and are committed to helping them thrive. Initiatives like this are a valuable contribution to their efforts and we have been delighted to be able to facilitate this on behalf of the farmers and Reconomy to secure the future of this much loved species.”