Hilary Phillips

I joined the River Thame Conservation Trust in 2020 after a short period working with the local Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) in the role of Living Landscapes Manager for Berkshire. Prior to that I worked at Wild Oxfordshire, where I played a role in developing the Evenlode Catchment Partnership and managed biodiversity projects, including Oxfordshire’s Biodiversity Action Group and Oxfordshire’s State of Nature report.

Currently I am a Senior Project Officer at the River Thame Conservation Trust. In this role I spearhead the development and execution of a range of projects primarily focused on enhancing biodiversity and water quality in the catchment. Critical to this role is developing and maintaining relationships with landowners across the catchment; working with them to identify opportunities to support solutions to tackle water quality and biodiversity loss, farm resilience and sustainable food production.

We’ve been fortunate to be supported in this work over the past few years by the Environment Agency and Rothschild Foundation. Support that has led to the development of the Thame Catchment Farm Cluster, encompassing nearly 50 farms and more than 6,500 Ha of farmland.

Seeing the positive impact that agro-ecological approaches to farming can have on communities, biodiversity, and the environment is what drives my passion. It’s the opportunity to work towards a future where agriculture and conservation go hand in hand, and where the land is not only productive but also enriched and preserved for the long term.