The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has launched a major £300,000 appeal to secure the future of Hamgreen Wood, a one-hundred-acre site of ancient woodland and grassland located between Bicester and Aylesbury.
The woodland is home to rare species, including the black hairstreak butterfly and Bechstein’s bats, and once formed part of the medieval hunting forest of Bernwood.
Ancient woodland is one of the UK’s rarest habitats, covering less than 2.5 per cent of the landscape. Hamgreen Wood contains one of the largest remaining examples in the region, with two-thirds of the site designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The current owners have carefully managed the woodland for the past 30 years and have invited BBOWT to purchase it, ensuring its long-term protection.
Steve Proud, BBOWT’s Land Management Director, said:
“Adding Hamgreen Wood to our existing network of reserves in the region will further strengthen and protect the value of the whole area for wildlife. The site has a diverse structure of open grassland, rides and an amazing woodland canopy with a well-developed understory.
“It’s clear that the current owners have provided very careful management over the last thirty years and we’re excited for the potential to build on their legacy. We plan to further diversify the site by adding ponds, creating a traditional meadow habitat and softening the borders of the woodland to benefit birds, bats and invertebrates.”
The site provides vital habitat for Bechstein’s bats, listed as ‘near-threatened’ on the global IUCN Red List, and supports one of the few roosting sites in the region. It is also an important breeding ground for the rare black hairstreak butterfly, found only in parts of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the East Midlands.
Andy Coulson-Phillips, BBOWT’s Principal Ecologist, said:
“Bechstein’s bats are an incredibly rare species which are confined to mixed-structure ancient woodlands. Hamgreen Wood holds one of only a few roosting sites in the region, and so it is central to the species’ survival in this area. Black hairstreak butterflies are another key endangered species which can be found here.”
The appeal forms part of BBOWT’s wider £3 million Nature Recovery Fund, launched in 2023 to address the climate and nature crises across the three counties. To support the appeal, visit BBOWT’s website.
