--- title: "Environmental charities UK — compare & choose" description: "Compare environmental charities in the UK: their work, financial evidence and donation checks. Explore profiles and questions to ask before giving." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charities/environment retrieved: 2026-09-20T13:34:26.250Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## How do I compare environmental charities? Environmental charities can protect habitats, restore nature, research environmental change or campaign. Compare the place, intervention and monitoring evidence; trees planted or land managed alone do not establish lasting ecological improvement. Start with the work ## What do environmental charities do? The same cause can involve very different services. Use these distinctions to choose what you want to support, then compare organisations doing similar work. 01 ### Habitat protection and restoration Projects can protect existing habitats or restore degraded land and water. **Evidence to look for**Check ecological baseline, long-term management and monitoring. 02 ### Species and nature recovery Programmes may focus on species, wider ecosystems or connecting habitats. **Evidence to look for**Look for population or habitat-condition measures over an appropriate period. 03 ### Environmental research and campaigning Research and policy work may aim to change decisions beyond an individual site. **Evidence to look for**Ask for the evidence base, specific contribution and limitations of attribution. ## Choosing environmental charities to support Begin with the difference you want your donation to make. A useful shortlist brings together your priorities, the charity’s actual programme and evidence you can check. - ### 1. Match the organisation and appeal Check the registered name, charity number and official contact details on the profile and regulator link. Confirm that the appeal and payment destination belong to that organisation. Similar names, local branches and international affiliates can represent different legal entities. - ### 2. Read the evidence for the programme Look for a defined goal, the people or places reached, the reporting period and what changed. Ask whether the figures count unique people, repeated contacts or activities. Read limitations and follow-up, and distinguish a charity’s own report from an independent evaluation. - ### 3. Compare finances in context Check the accounts year, income, expenditure, reserves where disclosed and current registration context. Research grants, direct services and campaigning have different cost structures. Missing data does not mean zero spending, and a low overhead ratio does not prove stronger results. - ### 4. Check the terms of your gift Establish whether a donation supports general work or a named appeal. Check restrictions, what happens if plans change and any ongoing commitment before giving. Follow a trusted official link and keep the confirmation so you can refer back to the stated terms. [How to read impact evidence](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-read-charity-impact)[Understand Clarity Scores](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)[Find practical support](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/find-support) ## Sources and selection notes Organisation descriptions below support the attributed examples and provider information. The comparison questions are CharityCompare’s editorial guidance. Financial data comes from the dated filings identified on each profile. Read our [editorial responsibilities and interests](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/editorial-team) and [request a sourced correction](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/contact). - [Woodland Trust: protecting, restoring and creating woodland](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/) Financial evidence ## Compare environmental charity ratings 492 currently rated matches, showing the 12 highest Clarity Scores. Ordered by financial and disclosure score, with equal scores listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking of impact. Payment never changes scores. Matches use registered names and reported activities; confirm the particular programme on each profile. | Charity | Score | Cause spend | Income | Scope | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [ERLAS VICTORIAN WALLED GARDEN](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/erlas-victorian-walled-garden) | 100 | 100% | £603k | Local | | [THE WEY AND ARUN CANAL TRUST LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-wey-and-arun-canal-trust-limited) | 100 | 91% | £816k | Local | | [UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES CONSERVATION FORUM](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/uk-overseas-territories-conservation-forum) | 100 | 100% | £577k | UK-wide | | [BUMBLEBEE CONSERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/bumblebee-conservation-trust) | 99 | 90% | £2.5m | UK-wide | | [FRIENDS OF ST NICHOLAS FIELDS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/friends-of-st-nicholas-fields) | 99 | 100% | £789k | Local | | [THE BAT CONSERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-bat-conservation-trust) | 99 | 89% | £3.0m | UK-wide | | [WALES FEDERATION OF YOUNG FARMERS CLUBS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/wales-federation-of-young-farmers-clubs) | 99 | 95% | £771k | Local | | [CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/children-s-book-project) | 98 | 96% | £583k | UK-wide | | [EARTHPERCENT](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/earthpercent) | 98 | 85% | £917k | UK-wide | | [GROUNDWORK CHESHIRE LANCASHIRE & MERSEYSIDE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/groundwork-cheshire-lancashire-merseyside) | 98 | 100% | £6.9m | UK-wide | | [SOUTH WEST COAST PATH ASSOCIATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/south-west-coast-path-association) | 98 | 91% | £1.1m | Local | | [THE HAWK AND OWL TRUST LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-hawk-and-owl-trust-ltd) | 98 | 93% | £725k | UK-wide | [Build your own side-by-side comparison](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities) Explore further ## More environmental charity profiles 616 additional basic profiles match our registered-name search, with up to 12 shown alphabetically. These profiles do not have a Clarity Score. A name match alone does not establish relevance, service availability or effectiveness. - [777 Conservation VolunteersRegistered charity № 1077259](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/777-conservation-volunteers) - [Abergele Conservation TrustRegistered charity № 1210589](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/abergele-conservation-trust) - [Acorn - Combatting Climate ChangeRegistered charity № 1190282](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/acorn-combatting-climate-change) - [Afield EnvironmentalRegistered charity № 1213914](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/afield-environmental) - [Africa Airborne ConservationRegistered charity № 1185958](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/africa-airborne-conservation) - [African Centre for Mining, Environment and Development (Afromed)Registered charity № 1134909](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/african-centre-for-mining-environment-and-development-afromed) - [African Wildlife Conservation Fund (UK)Registered charity № 1186260](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/african-wildlife-conservation-fund-uk) - [Agroforestry and Environmental Protection (Agroforep)Registered charity № 1055750](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/agroforestry-and-environmental-protection-agroforep) - [Ainsty Conservation SocietyRegistered charity № 1000384](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/ainsty-conservation-society) - [Airfields of Britain Conservation TrustRegistered charity № 1156877](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/airfields-of-britain-conservation-trust) - [Amazon Rainforest Conservation CentreRegistered charity № 1205255](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/amazon-rainforest-conservation-centre) - [Amphibian and Reptile Conservation TrustRegistered charity № SC044097](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/amphibian-and-reptile-conservation-trust-sc) [Search the charity directory](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/search?q=Environmental) ## Environmental charities: your questions answered Is a tree-planting donation the same as a verified carbon offset?+Do not assume that it is. Read the actual project documentation and claims. Ask about survival, maintenance, measurement and independent verification before treating a donation as evidence of an offset. What do environmental charity ratings tell me?+CharityCompare Clarity Scores summarise financial and disclosure measures from the dated filings shown on each profile. They do not establish programme effectiveness, clinical quality or the suitability of a service for an individual. Read the accounts period, missing-data notes and regulatory context before using a score. How are charities included in this comparison?+Rated profiles are matched against registered names and activities reported on the register; basic profiles are matched by registered name. These automated matches can miss relevant work or include a different focus. Our 492 rated matches and 616 additional basic matches are not an official UK-wide count. Check each charity’s actual activities.