Woodland management for district heating co-op gives rare butterfly a boost

It has been a heavy week for nature news, with wildfires causing damage across the UK and much of Europe in severe hot and dry weather. To keep us feeling positive about the work individuals and communities can do, here's a small but mighty success story from Springbok Sustainable Wood Heat Co-op in Surrey:

Springbok Co-op runs a wood chip biomass district heating system near Alfold. The boilers supply heat to a former seafarers charity, Care Ashore. Reducing fossil fuel usage has been their central goal but not their only one: alongside it they have been bringing nearby woodland back into careful management, to supply a sustainable source of wood and to increase the woodland's biodiversity. The team particularly wanted to create habitat for the wood white butterfly, an endangered GB red-listed species, whose numbers have dropped by more than 80% since the 1970s.

Annual transect surveys in Park Copse recorded 8 wood whites in total across the first 4 years. 2025 saw 21 recordings, and 2026 saw that number more than double to 45 butterflies. That’s just one species: other bird, insect and plant surveys show growth and diversity across the board. Nightingales and marsh tits are among other notable sightings.

This is proof that a small group can make a meaningful difference - and that renewable energy co-operatives often have an impact that goes far beyond the remit of generating clean energy.

Thank you to Neil Hulme for the photos, and the expert guidance behind the work being done in these woods. More info on Springbok can be found here.