The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
17 Goals to Transform Our World
MMBEN is committed to The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for everyone. These are global challenges but if we think global, act local we can help address poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
What is the Meres and Mosses?
The Meres and Mosses is an area covering most of north Shropshire, south Cheshire and parts of west Staffordshire. It is a landscape formed by glacial processes more than 10,000 years ago, creating a series of hollows in the rolling landscape that became filled with water from the retreating glacier. Where these hollows filled with deeper water, they remain as ‘meres’ (glacial lakes), whereas natural processes have allowed many of the shallower ones to fill in and form into peat bogs or ‘mosses’.
Why are the Meres and Mosses special for conservation?
The Meres and Mosses area contains the third largest lowland raised bog in Britain (Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses). It has a higher concentration of field ponds than anywhere else in Europe and provides vital habitat for many specialist and threatened species such as the white-faced darter (a dragonfly), the small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly and the raft spider (Britain’s biggest spider!) as well as a safe haven for more widespread but still vulnerable species such as the water vole and adder. The peat-based nature of much of the land also provides a vital carbon storage function (holding up to 20 times more carbon than the same area of woodland). The quality of water in the Meres & Mosses landscape is also vital to its future to support wildlife and for people to enjoy.
The MMBEN Team
An initiative of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, MMBEN’s aims and objectives are managed through a Steering Group of local business people dedicated to promoting the network’s values to benefit like-minded organisations.

Could this be you? July 2021 until July 2022 (flexible)
Corporate Biodiversity Assistant, Shropshire Wildlife Trust
Be a part of a nationwide environmental movement whilst delivering 3 partnership projects to improve biodiversity and/or business-sustainability.
Placement title: Business Engagement Biodiversity Assistant
Responsible to: Business Engagement Manager
Location: SWT offices, Shrewsbury
Part-time: 3 days a week
Placement type: Annual
Benefits: Up to £2,500 training and conference budget
Key objectives/tasks
• Design and delivery of 3 partnership biodiversity/sustainability-related projects
• Coordinate 5 environmental business networking events and Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Annual Corporate Event, ACE21
• Managing Meres & Mosses Business Environment Network (MMBEN) website & business engagement pages on SWT’s website
• Supporting management of MMBEN and the Business Engagement function
• Leading on Wildlife Trust campaigns with our business partners.
(Applications will only be accepted from those who can legally live/work in the UK without additional sponsorship)