Friends of the Earth CEO, Craig Bennett has been appointed as the new chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts.

The Wildlife Trusts is a coalition of 46 nature conservation charities, which aims to reverse nature's decline, restore broken ecosystems and enable people to take action for nature.

Bennett will succeed Stephanie Hilborne OBE, who left the charity this summer after 15 years in post. Patience Thody is acting CEO.

Bennett joins the charity with experience in nature conservation, campaigning and leadership within the wider charity sector. He previously led a move to bring peat cutting to an end on Thorne and Hatfield Moors and helped secure wildlife legislation through The Countryside and Rights of Way Act.

More recently, he led successful campaigns highlighting climate change and to protect and restore bees.

The Wildlife Trusts chair, Peta Foxall said: “We are confident Craig will ensure that The Wildlife Trusts continue in their ground-breaking landscape restoration work at the scale required to address the ongoing nature and climate crisis.

"The Wildlife Trusts are spearheading natural climate solutions, peatland restoration, species recovery, solutions to farmland wildlife decline and marine protection – and Craig’s leadership will be invaluable as we strive for a wilder future at this critical time.”

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