Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts across the United Kingdom. It manages nature reserves in Leicestershire and Rutland, and was founded in 1956 as the Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Conservation. As of January 2018, it has over 16,000 members, a staff of about 25 and more than 500 volunteers. It is based in Leicester, and is managed by a Council of Trustees which is elected by the members. It is a charity which covers all aspects of nature conservation, and works to protect wild places and wildlife.

Leicestershire has an area of 833 sqmi, and a population according to the 2011 census of 980,000. Leicester City Council is a unitary authority, and the rest of the county is administered by Leicestershire County Council at the top level, with seven district councils in the second tier, Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire and Oadby and Wigston. Rutland is mainly rural, but has two market towns, Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham. The county has an area of 151.5 sqmi, and the 2011 census showed a population of 37,400.

LRWT manages thirty-three reserves covering almost 1,200 ha. Nineteen are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest, two are national nature reserves, one is a Ramsar internationally important wetland site, one is a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, two are Nature Conservation Review sites, three contain Geological Conservation Review sites, one contains a scheduled monument, one is a local nature reserve and two are owned by the National Trust. The largest is Rutland Water at 393 ha, a major wetland area which is one of the richest reservoirs for wintering wildfowl in the country. The smallest is Bloody Oaks Quarry at 1.3 ha, which has species-rich grassland on Jurassic limestone.

Public access

 * PP = public access to part of site
 * YES = public access to the whole or most of the site

Other classifications

 * GCR = Geological Conservation Review
 * LNR = Local nature reserve


 * NCR = Nature Conservation Review
 * NNR = National nature reserve
 * NT = National Trust
 * Ramsar = Ramsar site, an internationally important wetland site
 * SM = Scheduled monument
 * SPA = Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds
 * SSSI = Site of Special Scientific Interest