Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy of wildlife in their daily lives, that’s why we’re committed to putting equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our movement.  We’re Wild About Inclusion!  To us, this means inspiring, empowering and engaging people from all backgrounds, cultures, identities and abilities, to change the natural world for the better and take action to help wildlife in their daily lives.   

All 46 Wildlife Trusts have adopted a framework called Wild About Inclusion which focuses on inspiring, empowering, and engaging people from all backgrounds, cultures, identities, and abilities to play their part in nature recovery and climate action. 

The benefits of the Wild About Inclusion approach are: 

• More people take action for nature: people from across society have better access to nature and more opportunities to play a part in nature’s recovery. 
• Better organisational performance: diverse and inclusive organisations have increased creativity, innovation, and employee satisfaction. 
• Greater support from communities: being inclusive and relevant for diverse communities attracts support from a wider range of people.  
• Staff are happier and healthier: an inclusive working environment means everyone has equal opportunities to develop, progress and be recognised at work. 

There is still work to be done to enhance diversity at The Wildlife Trusts

We know that not everyone has equal access to nature.  Therefore, it’s important for us to better understand and address inequalities experienced by many communities in accessing nature, improve connection and inclusivity for all and ensure everyone is able to benefit from wildlife. 

We also recognise that the conservation sector is one of the least diverse professions in the UK.  We are committed to ensuring we reflect and represent all parts of society by improving access to jobs and training opportunities for groups currently under-represented in our sector. 

Our people are very important to us, so we’re wild about cultivating inclusive work spaces that are free from discrimination, where differences are valued, everyone can be themselves and flourish, just like nature!

What are The Wildlife Trusts of South & West Wales doing to progress?

The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales are undertaking a range of different projects and training initiatives to progress equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). 

On our Islands and Reserves

• Skomer & Skokholm Accessible Boat Trips - Working in partnership with Pembrokeshire Islands Boat Trips, we ran the trips from Dale where the floating pontoon allowed wheelchair users and those with limited mobility to board the accessible boat.
• Improving access and inclusivity at the Welsh Wildlife Centre - thanks to the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have secured initial funding to ensure that the Welsh Wildlife Centre remains a welcoming place for everyone, regardless of age, race, background, or ability. 
• Nextdoor Nature - working with local people to inspire action for nature. The project worked with partners such as the YMCA Swansea and the Chinese in Wales Association to deliver events and local wildlife action. 
• Stand For Nature - working with young people aged  9-24 to take action against the climate and nature crisis in their local area. Attended national campaign events such as the March for Clean Water. 
• Accessibility & Inclusivity on Skomer Island - working with partners such as Black2Nature to connect Visibly Minority Ethnic young people with nature. Every year, we run a highly discounted Young Birders Week. We always welcome suggestions of how we can make Skomer more accessible. Please contact our Skomer Island Visitor Officer, skomer.vo@welshwildlife.org, with your questions or feedback. 
• Accessible trails at Parc Slip, Teifi Marshes, Pwll y Wrach and Westfield Pill Nature Reserves. 

In Our Work Environment

• EDI Working Group - staff from different teams meets bi-monthly to to progress EDI internally and externally. 
• Training - all staff have completed 5 compulsory EDI training sessions, and further training opportunities are available. 
• Recruitment of Staff and Trustees - we want our people to be as diverse as nature, so we particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented within our sector, including people from minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. Even if you do not feel you meet all the essential criteria listed on our job applications, we would encourage submitting an application as we are willing to be flexible and provide training and support to the right candidate. We are committed to creating a movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.
• Celebrating awareness days - platforming a diverse range of voices from our supporter base. 
• Pronouns - staff are welcome to include their pronouns in their email signature with a link to a page on our website explaining the importance of pronouns. 
• National Wildlife Trust Staff Networks – groups of employees that come together regularly to share experiences and support each other.  These include Out for Nature for LGBTQ+ staff, Nature for All for staff with disabilities, Nature in Mind for staff with mental health concerns, Next Gen Nature for young people, Colours of Nature for people of colour and Women in Nature.
• Reporting - we feed data into The Wildlife Trust's annual Diversity Report. 

Staff Stories

We celebrate diversity within our team at The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales.