Join our fight to return historic forest to wildlife

THE transformation of Wallasea Island is part of a growing rewilding movement across Europe.

It seeks to repair the damage to the environment from thousands of years of human interference, by allowing nature to stage a comeback.

And that is why a key demand of the Daily Express Green Britain Needs You campaign is to create more space for nature.

As part of this goal we and green entrepreneur Dale Vince are helping the RSPB to raise money to buy a 91-acre nature reserve in the New Forest.

Horse Common is currently covered in commercial pine plantations which support little wildlife.

But the RSPB hopes to restore it to mixed woodland, sandy heathland and watery mires.

This will provide a haven for birds such as the endangered lesser spotted woodpecker and willow tit, as well as toads and newts, marsh orchids and butterflies such as the silver-studded blue. One day the charity hopes for the return of the nightingale – nature’s supreme songbird which is sadly on the UK’s red list of threatened species.

Horse Common will cost about £450,000 but, if the appeal raises £90,000, it could unlock the rest from other donors.

So far Daily Express readers have responded magnificently, raising nearly £20,000 through donations or by switching their mobile phone SIM cards to Ecotalk, which then provides donations to the RSPB every month.

On top of that Mr Vince, the founder of the green electricity firm Ecotricity, has personally donated £5,000 to the appeal.

Britain’s wildlife is in trouble. About 15 per cent of our native species are threatened with extinction and 41 per cent – including yellowhammers and song thrushes – have suffered population declines since 1970.

So please give our natural world a lifeline by helping to rewild it.