Who We Are

The Lothians Conservation Volunteers are a group of volunteers who do practical environmental conservation in Edinburgh and the Lothians nearly every Sunday of the year. The group was founded in 1970 and has been active in environmental conservation for almost 50 years.

Our charitable objectives are:

• To advance environmental protection and improvement in the Lothians and elsewhere for the benefit of the environment and the public by doing practical work to create and maintain nature reserves and other sites of biological, scientific or environmental importance.
• To advance the education of the public in the principles and practice of environmental conservation by providing volunteering opportunities and training in practical conservation skills.

LCV works for a variety of clients for the benefit of the wildlife, environment and people of Scotland. We do about 600-700 days work each year, for about 12 clients across roughly 30 sites. Find out more about the type of work we do.

Our volunteers are of mixed age and gender. Many of us live in or around Edinburgh, with some travelling in from further afield. Our tasks are suitable for beginners and we provide all tools and training on site. LCV is also suitable for a range of commitment levels: volunteers can come on as many tasks as they like, or just sign up for the occasional task when they have time. Find out more about volunteering with LCV

The group is 100% run by volunteers. LCV is organised by a committee and volunteers are welcome to attend the monthly meetings and run for open committee positions. While tasks are overseen by LCV clients, they are led by volunteers. Volunteers who attend regularly can train to become task leaders.