Tiddesley Wood, on the outskirts of Pershore, is an important place for wildlife and is home to woodland birds, scarce species of bats and important wildflowers. The Trust, owners of the nature reserve and the largest nature conservation organisation in the county, has seen an increase in vandalism on the site over the last few weeks.

Since January the charity has been closing unauthorised paths throughout the woodland in order to protect the wildlife. Nearly six kilometres of unofficial paths have been created in the quieter parts of the wood over the past few years, resulting in almost no part of the wood where wildlife isn’t subject to disturbance from people and their dogs. 

With the unauthorised paths blocked off, there are still four kilometres of trails for people to walk and quietly enjoy the peace and wildlife of the woodland.

Tomos Holloway, the Trust’s member of staff responsible for managing the wood, explained “Tiddesley is a really important place for wildlife and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest to recognise this. Over the years, visitors have created their own paths, resulting in a lot of disturbance to wildlife throught almost the whole wood. Many species of wildlife are very sensitive to disturbance so we’ve begun to block the unauthorised paths to give wildlife space to thrive.

“Sadly, a few individuals are not happy with this decision and have chosen to put their own desires ahead of the needs of wildlife. Signs have been damaged or destroyed and the barriers - fallen trees or piles of brash - have been systematically removed. 

“This causes our staff and volunteers more time to deal with this instead of getting on with our vital work to help wildlife.

“This behaviour is criminal damage and all incidents have been reported to the police. We have installed CCTV in the wood but would urge any visitor who sees suspicious behaviour to call the police.”

The UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries and it’s estimated that one in six species of wildlife is at risk of extinction. Nature reserves are the last refuges for wildlife to thrive so it is crucially important that they remain safe places for birds, mammals, insects, flowers and more.

Ensuring the unauthorised paths are blocked is even more important following the recently permitted development of 300 houses on fields alongside the wood’s eastern boundary. 

Tomos added “We welcome people to visit this beautiful and tranquil woodland but ask that everyone sticks to the designated routes and keeps dogs on leads at all times in order to protect the wildlife that it’s so important for.

“Whilst we have provided a free car park and a network of permissive paths for nearly 40 years, if this antisocial behaviour continues, we may have to consider closing the car park or put in place other restrictions. The latter will cost more time and resources, which we would rather spend on positive conservation work but which may be necessary to protect wildlife at Tiddesley Wood.

“We’re in the middle of an ecological crisis and nature reserves like Tiddesley are vital for our wildlife to thrive; but to do so, it needs peace and quiet to breed and feed. Tiddesley is a place where wildlife must come first.”