Wilder Coton - Cambridge Past, Present & Future

A Wilder Coton

Find out how you can be part of helping to create a wilder future in Cambridge for wildlife and everyone in the city to enjoy.

“A brilliant initiative to help reverse biodiversity loss in our region, and a real public asset. Well done CPPF!”

“What a wonderful initiative, making a huge difference for nature and our community!”

“Brilliant initiative, Cambridge needs so much more green space for nature.”

Help us raise £30,000 to transform arable farmland on the edge of Cambridge into new habitats that are rich in nature, help to mitigate climate change and improve community well-being.

Cambridgeshire is one of the most nature depleted places in the UK, it has one of the lowest amounts of tree cover and people have limited free access to large areas of nature.

Cambridge is also one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, with plans for this to continue for several decades. This rapid growth is putting significant pressure on the environment and people.

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To help tackle these challenges, our vision is to transform farmland that we own (part of Coton Countryside Reserve) and create a large-scale area of ‘wild-belt’ on the edge of Cambridge for wildlife and nature, that mitigates climate change and improves community well-being by providing access to nature and attractive green space.

We want to transform 27 acres of arable farmland into a mix of wetland, meadows and woodland and we need to raise funds to pay for this work.

We have set a target of raising £30,000 in public donations towards the overall costs of £190,000.

Donate now and be part of helping to create a wilder future in Cambridge for wildlife and everyone in the city to enjoy.

Your donation will help to pay for:

sowing wildflower seeds and creating new meadows
planting new woodland and scrub
creating a new wetland that will also capture pollution and reduce flooding
providing paths and other access improvements so that the community can enjoy the new habitats

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The new greenspace that will be created will provide free public access to nature via paths, open access and viewing areas. The project is part of a larger vision to help nature recover in and around Cambridge, called the Cambridge Nature Network, which aims to double nature by 2050.

Our new project at Coton Reserve will benefit people from across Cambridge by giving them enhanced access to nature but especially those moving into new housing being built nearby. The Reserve will provide a greenspace for these new communities and an opportunity for them to come together with others to create the new habitats and to care for them over the long-term.