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Sand martin adult feeding chicks
Credit: Sue Smith

East Devon District Council’s Countryside Team is celebrating a remarkable year of achievement, as highlighted in its newly released 2025 Annual Review. The report showcases significant milestones in wildlife conservation, visitor engagement, and community involvement across East Devon’s treasured natural spaces.

The review highlights a series of outstanding wildlife successes, including a bumper breeding season for Sand Martins, record numbers of one of the UK’s rarest mammals, the Grey Long-eared Bat and the successful release of Water Voles into local habitats. These achievements underline the team’s continued commitment to protecting and restoring biodiversity across the district.

Visitor engagement has also reached new heights. The Countryside Team recorded its highest-ever visitor numbers, with particular success at the award-winning Seaton Wetlands Nature Reserve. Alongside an expanded programme of sell-out events, family activities, and popular guided experiences, the site has raised almost £20,000 in donations, helping to reinvest directly into conservation efforts.

The Annual Review also shines a spotlight on the vital role played by volunteers. Both new and long-standing volunteers share their experiences, demonstrating how their contributions are central to maintaining nature restoration at the heart of the team’s work. Strong partnerships with community groups, charities, and local businesses continue to encourage people to connect with nature while giving back to their local green spaces.

Councillor Richard Jefferies, Portfolio Holder for Environment – Nature & Climate, said: “The Countryside Team has delivered outstanding results for nature, wildlife, and the local community. Year after year, they welcome increasing numbers of visitors eager to experience our award-winning nature reserves—some of the most beautiful in the region.”

Countryside Manager James Chubb added: “I am incredibly proud of my team and our dedicated volunteers for everything they have achieved this year. Their hard work is making a genuine difference, and we are thrilled to be having such a positive impact on East Devon’s natural environment and local communities.”

To read the East Devon Countryside Team’s 2025 Annual Review, please visit www.wildeastdevon.co.uk or follow Annual Review 2025.