Hattiers Supports Devon Environment Foundation

Hattiers is proud to support Devon Environment Foundation (DEF) who channel funds to grassroots nature regeneration projects within Devon and its coastal waters. DEF taps into its network of local nature experts to identify the most impactful projects delivering Nature-based Solutions in Devon; providing the vital funds required to enable them to replicate and scale.

Images above: Devon Environment Foundation

Renowned for its natural beauty, Devon is one of the largest counties in Britain and one of the least densely populated. It is also our home, which is why we are so passionate about supporting DEF and their mission to scale Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to redress nature’s balance and repair the damage we’ve caused.

Devon’s diverse natural habitats include: woodlands, wetlands, moorlands, meadows, hedgerows, rivers, estuaries, and many more beneath its coastal waters. In recent decades, Devon’s natural assets have significantly diminished. To restore nature’s balance we need urgent, transformative action. Increasing biodiversity in Devon will benefit three major sectors of the local economy:

Agriculture: Farming with nature increases wildlife, improves carbon sequestration, and soil and crop quality. It also reduces flooding, soil erosion, and pollution. Regenerative agriculture is better for wildlife and people.

Tourism: Eco-tourism provides opportunities to run wildlife safaris, promote eco-friendly stay-cations, reconnect holidaymakers with nature, and tap into a renewed appreciation of nature since Covid-19.

Fishing: Collaborative management of the fisheries for biodiversity gives fishermen more autonomy, enabling them to work less and catch more, and then sell traceable and sustainable ‘reserve seafood’ for higher profits.

There are already lots of brilliant environmental initiatives happening in Devon, many of which we have had involvement with during our staff volunteer days; including rewilding, regenerative agriculture, reintroduction of keystone species, and marine permaculture, however many of these initiatives are fledgling projects that need financial support to fully maximise their potential for positive impact. By supporting DEF, we are contributing to the financial support that is desperately needed to expand these projects and keep up their momentum.

You can find out more about the brilliant projects DEF has supported here.

You may think that DEF only has their sights on Devon and while this is largely true, it is part of a much bigger picture. DEF is a member of the Conservation Collective, a global network of locally-focused environmental foundations, emerging from the natural instinct of all people to protect what they love. The Conservation Collective facilitates funding for the most effective grassroots environmental initiatives, with world-class oversight, management and programme aid. Find out more here.

Events:

This evening, instead of getting hands on with some marine conservation or rewilding, we will be getting dressed in our finest to support the DEF fundraising event at Salcombe Harbour Hotel...all while sipping a Hattiers cocktail or two.

We wish DEF the very best and hope that the evening will be successful in generating vital funds and support for the organisation to further their impact within our home county of Devon.