Wildlife Trust Ecology Group (WTEG)

Training and development

Ecology Groups encourage and channel the development and application of the field skills of naturalists who are already active, so people do more fieldwork, to a better standard and with a direct benefit to wildlife.

The groups provide training, both through mixing with other volunteers and through inviting outside specialists to offer training. They also provide the opportunity in which people with less knowledge, especially young people, can experience natural history in the field and get to know the experts.

Volunteers are encouraged to decide their own training needs, which in turn influences what is included in Wildlife Training Workshop programme, which are tailored to the needs of Ecology Groups.

The programme offers over 600 places a year for individuals to start learning about natural history. In some cases, attending Wildlife Training Workshops has led to further formal education.

The workshops are spread across the three counties and are run at local venues enabling local people to learn about their local wildlife, how to recognise it and understand why it is there. The workshops also encourage people to practice their newly acquired skills, develop them further and put them to good use with their nearest Ecology Group.

The Wildlife Training Workshop programme is produced annually and compiled from the feedback from participants and Wildlife Trust volunteers and staff. For further information, please contact Juliette Butler on 01604 405285 or trainingworkshops@wildlifebcnp.org