Conservation Foundation

About the charity

The Conservation Foundation was established in 1982 by David Shreeve and David Bellamy to promote positive environmental news, awareness and action. It was one of the first organisations to link business and the environment.

Its roots go back to a tree planting ceremony in October 1979 at a time when it had been estimated that some 15 million native English Elms had been lost as a result of Dutch elm disease.  The event took place in Harlow, Essex and the elms were Sapporo Autumn Gold developed at the University of Wisconsin.  An Elm Education Project was created by David Bellamy which involved 500 schools planting these hybrid trees and recording their history in 50 year diaries. Thirty years on many of these trees have grown into magnificent specimens and the success of the elm project led to the setting up in 1982 of The Conservation Foundation.

The Foundation has gone on to create and manage many other projects and initiatives but it has continued with its original interest in elms.  Some years ago it began to identify a number of healthy, mature elms which have been growing for at least 60 years in the English countryside and had therefore resisted or survived the disease.  Cuttings were taken and this Spring, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original elm plantings, The Conservation Foundation launched The Great British Elm Experiment.