DORSET Wildlife Trust is inviting people to ‘shop for wildlife’ this Christmas.

The trust is offering a selection of eco-friendly gifts from digital adoptions and Christmas e-cards to gift memberships and nature courses.

A choice of digital adoptions includes beaver, red squirrel, seahorse, barn owl, and new for this year, hedgehog. 

With no physical packaging and a minimal carbon footprint, digital adoptions bring the assurance that all the profits go towards making a real difference to wildlife in need.

 Laura McLellan, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Head of Individual Giving, said: “With one in 40 species previously present in Dorset now extinct, according to the last State of Nature report, it’s more important than ever to protect our local wildlife.

“All the proceeds from adoptions, e-cards, courses, gift memberships and commemorative plaques support Dorset Wildlife Trust’s conservation work to enhance and extend habitats for both common and rare species.

“Wild gifts also provide a meaningful way to connect with loved ones over a shared love of wildlife, which is so important. We need to come together to tackle the ecological and climate crises facing us and Dorset’s wildlife.” 

More wild gift options include a Dorset Wildlife Trust gift membership for friends and family, or a commemorative plaque on the Brownsea Memory tree to remember a loved one.

Wildlife-themed courses such as fungi foraging or bird identification at Kingcombe Visitor Centre also make unique, thoughtful gifts.

And sending e-cards this year would reduce waste – and the cost of stamps - whilst supporting conservation.

Explore the gift range on the Dorset Wildlife Trust website.