FOLLOWING 33 years of dedicated service to wildlife and to the people of Wiltshire, a charity CEO has announced he will retire this summer.
Gary Mantle worked tirelessly for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to create a more sustainable future for both wildlife and people in the county. He also contributed to conservation both nationally and internationally.
When the Trust was established, the original primary objectives set by the founders were achieved, but the climate and biodiversity crises, and major concerns about the threats to environmental legislation, mean that the challenges have never been greater.
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Gary Mantle said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to have led the Trust for so long. Together, we have achieved so much. In 1990, the Trust had under 3,000 members and just 8 staff. Today, we have more than 23,000 members, 26,000 social media followers and nearly 150 staff.
“We have acquired many nature reserves, building up our land under management for nature to more than 1,200ha across more than 40 reserves.”
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Over the decades, the Trust has risen to the challenges and increased its ambition, repeatedly adapting its strategy and ways of working to tackle the most pressing challenges but the need for the Trust to play a key role in improving the prospects for nature and the environment at a landscape scale is clear.
The Trust will be recruiting for Gary’s successor and the role will be filled in the summer.
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