The world's first mobile network to use its profits to restore nature!

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The soothing sound of a blackbird

Ecotalk.
Where nature
has a voice.

Chris Packham has joined Ecotalk as the company’s Chief Ecologist, with a mission to push profits into projects that revive Britain's wildlife. Here he explains why.

Chris Packham and Ecotalk

We have now been granted permission to reintroduce beavers.

We will ensure that future generations can enjoy Britain’s wildlife.

Derek Gow, a UK-based species reintroduction expert, will be critical in delivering our beavers at Bowyers Wood.

I am excited to announce my role as Chief Ecologist at Ecotalk, and together I believe that we can make a positive difference for nature. With your support we will use tried and tested conservation skills to transform ordinary countryside into rich reserves, where wildlife can thrive. Birds, bees, butterflies, moths and mammals, plants and insects; everything that creeps, crawls, slithers, slimes and stings … they all need protecting. So we are going to create some fantastic nature reserves and put up the welcome signs. Because if we build it, they will come.

The pressure is on

We all know the pressure is on. We’ve been waging war on Britain’s wildlife for decades. And thanks to destructive practices such as deforestation, industrial farming, water pollution, and overfishing, only the lucky and the toughest have survived. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Together, we can make our nature great again.

Introducing the Three Rs

Ecotalk has a long history of reinvesting its profits into restoring and protecting Britain’s natural resources, and with your help we plan to reintroduce, rewild, and replant across a number of new schemes. We’re calling it the Three Rs. And as the fruits of our labour blossom, we’ll keep you updated at every step of the journey. So let’s get ready to put wildlife back on the map.

Work has already begun

Okay, so when are the Three Rs being introduced? Excitingly, the work on the ground has already begun! And we have two beautiful, inaugural sites. In Sussex, Bowyers Wood combines multi-species woodland and fields, boasting flower-rich meadow potential. And, in Devon, we have a project at Downicary, a river-fringed valley of improved pasture, soon-to-be marshy scrapes, and historic, wet woodland. Impressive stuff. But it's just the beginning.

We have to be brave and bold when it comes to land management.

Assessing suitable homes for our Downicary beavers.

Ecotalk is working with the very best people in conservation.

Tinkering won't fix it

Before we really get cracking we are completing some ‘baseline surveys’ of the major species groups. We need to know what we’ve already got wildlife wise so we can protect that but also what is missing so we can shape our management to encourage many more species to flourish. Some of the management will be major. I’m talking diggers, tree felling, turf stripping, tree and wildflower planting on a large scale. We have to be brave and bold, whilst some have tinkered, we are committed to getting the jobs done to optimise a nature recovery as rapidly as possible. With your support we are going to make a real difference.

Help make nature great again with Ecotalk

Species 1

Eurasian Beaver

Castor.fiber

Beavers are back in Britain! After 400 years of absence these large, bark-munching lovelies are back where they belong; and they’re building better places for loads of other creatures, too. That’s because beavers are ‘ecosystem engineers’, positively reshaping the environment around them to benefit people and wildlife. And finally, after years of dilly-dallying, we have permission to legally reintroduce them. Working alongside Derek Gow—the UK’s ‘Beaver Guru’—we will assess, fence, and modify a 27-acre section of Bowyers Wood to support a pioneering reintroduction project. So exciting!

Species 2

Barn Owl

Tyto.alba

The barn owl is one of the most popular birds in Britain. And I'm delighted to say that their numbers are on the increase, thanks to projects like ours. Their heart-shaped faces and silent flight have captivated us for thousands of years. But what comes out of them is equally interesting. Because barn owls tend to eat their prey whole, their pellets can include the intact skulls of creatures they've predated. When I was a kid, we'd go out and collect owl pellets. I'd take them home and my mum would bring in the doughnuts, and we'd break open the pellets to see what was inside. Brilliant!

Species 3

Hedgehog

Erinaceous.europaeus

We love our hedgehogs! They’re one of Britain's most cherished wild mammals, but we're losing them at an alarming rate. Through rewilding projects we plan to encourage significant areas of scrub, which will provide brambly shelter for as many Tiggywinkles as possible, with our meadows and grasslands teeming with all the beetles they need to eat. Our managed woodland will also include log piles, which make perfect hedgehog shelters. And this will benefit lots of other species, too; birds will nest, bees will buzz, reptiles will bask, and slugs will slime. Yes, it takes all sorts!

Ecotalking: Nature recovery

To turn things around, and get Britain's nature and wildlife back on top, we are going to use our mighty Three Rs—reintroduce, rewild, and replant—to make a difference. Each is proven to work. Each packs a punch. And each will benefit many species.

01Reintroduce

Reintroductions are very popular. And when they are feasible they can be truly impressive. Red kites, sea eagles, ospreys—amazing projects, which have transformed our skies. But it’s not just birds. Hazel dormice, pine martens, and water voles have all been successfully reintroduced, with spectacular results. And let’s not forget the little things. Field and wart-biter crickets, ladybird spiders, and now even New Forest cicadas are being carefully reintroduced to their former haunts. But reintroductions are often the cherry, and you need to bake the cake first, rebuilding and restoring the habitat from the ground up. Which brings us to …

02Rewild

Rewilding has become a successful conservation tool in the last 30 years, with projects like Knepp and Cairngorms Connect significantly transforming the landscape, leading to long-term species recovery. But it’s not just about throwing a fence around some land and letting it do its own thing. Through considered and measured management, habitat restoration can be accelerated. This often means getting stuck in with some heavy lifting; removing invasive species; creating glades in overgrown woodland; or replanting grasslands with wildflowers. These techniques have been tried and tested. And we will be rolling them out as rapidly as we can.

03Replant

The UK has the lowest amount of forest cover anywhere in Western Europe, at just 13%. And so replanting native trees is a very real necessity, which pays dividends in many ways. Obviously, it’s better for wildlife, providing food and shelter for thousands of species. But it is also a surefire way to lock up carbon, making it an asset which addresses climate breakdown. Planting trees can also add important resilience to the landscape, particularly by reducing flooding. However, replanting native forest is a long-term commitment. Each tree needs to be put in the right place, and to be lovingly nurtured through drought and downpour.

The first book I ever read was Ring of Bright Water. And it's amazing to see otters thriving.

Don't mow! Let it grow! We need to support Britain's pollinators by supporting wildflowers.

We can do it. We can restore our species and habitat. It's not a lost cause.

Ecotalk on the ground

01Downicary

This beautiful set of formerly-grazed fields has enormous potential to become wet meadows, teeming with ponds, bogs, and marshes. But there's a lot of work to do beforehand. Whilst the weather’s been dry, diggers have been hard at work making scrapes, building dykes, and blocking the old drains. The winter will see some hedgerow planting and gentle management of the wet woodland, which is already a fantastic habitat. Elsewhere, the site has a beautiful, clear stream running down one side… which already has beavers! Amazing! I’m pretty certain we will have otters, too. Only time and our trap cameras will tell!

Downicary overview

02Bowyers Wood

This nearly 250 acre wood is in Sussex and has a mix of species, Oak, Beech, Hazel, Sweet Chestnut and Ash. It looks lovely but hasn’t been managed for a long time so it needs thinning and parts need clearing. There are also overgrown ponds which need some love and a set of fields which have real potential as wildflower meadows. A stream runs through it and its here we plan to erect an enclosure to house our beaver pair. Stage one is finding out what already lives there and getting some nest boxes up. It’s a very exciting part of the project and we can't wait to get started this winter.

Bowyers Wood with Chris Packham

Ecotalk. Nature action. Check-in regularly with our NatureCams to see the difference our Ecotalk customers are making…

March updateChris Packham's Garden Bird Feeders (Live)

Ecotalk EcoCams

As we develop the Three Rs project we will be constantly monitoring the sites, using a variety of different nature cameras, and you can rest assured that we will update you with whatever we find. We want you to be part of this journey!

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Meet the Board

Wildlife are our shareholders. We're giving Britain's native species a voice on our board. The work we're doing across our sites is all designed to increase biodiversity and support our board members to live happily in a more natural environment.

Ecotalk Community — mobilising change

From Mystery to Discovery

Remember that woodpecker hunt we promised? We have news from Bowyer's Wood.

If We Build It, They Will Come

A quiet river, a few new ponds, and the simple hope that something would show up. At Downicary, nature hasn’t just accepted the invitation. It has moved in, renovated, and thrown a party.

Bowyer's Biodiversity Update

Rare woodpeckers, new owl boxes, and black poplars taking root — Bowyer’s Wood is bursting back to life.

Wetland Wows at Downicary

Discover how rewilding at Downicary is transforming meadows into wetlands, attracting birds, foxes and voles, and bringing water and biodiversity back.

Rewilding Bowyer’s Wood – Beavers, Trees and Winter Work

On one of the wettest, muddiest days of the year, Chris Packham, Ecotalk’s Chief Ecologist, joins Chris Perkins on site to reflect on how much has already been achieved and how much more is quietly unfolding behind the scenes.

Winter Wildlife at Bowyers Wood – Building the Baseline Before Beavers

A winter visit to Bowyers Wood reveals foxes, deer, herons and river life as Ecotalk carries out vital surveys, laying the groundwork for beavers and future nature recovery.

Winter Beavers at Downicary – When Wetlands Begin to Work

Explore winter rewilding at Downicary as Ecotalk tracks beavers, wetlands and wildlife, revealing how water, trees and patience are transforming the land.

Autumn Rewilding – Beavers, Scrapes and Raptors at Work

Autumn rewilding in action: Chris Packham and the team build beaver habitats, bird scrapes and raptor perches to boost British biodiversity.

Read our stories

Join the thousands of Ecotalkers who’ve made the switch

Daniel FitzGerald

Great coverage, excellent price & service.

Highly recommended! I switched to Ecotalk for two reasons: They give great coverage - far better than my previous, well known supplier. The environmental work they help to do by donating their profits to ecological causes. Since I've been with them I haven't lost coverage once. Also transferring to them was incredibly easy, & I was given great customer service from a local help centre when I called to check that I'd done the changeover correctly.

Date of experience: 3 March 2026

Tom Skipworth

Great

Great, really easy switch and already an improved network coverage from my last provider. My bill is actually reduced too.

Date of experience: 5 March 2026

Angie Cornes

Roaming query

I have now been with Ecotalk for months and each time I called with a query I have been dealt with fantastically. Each advisor was friendly, polite, most helpful and were always able to assist with my query. I feel the advisors are a credit to the company and nothing is ever too much trouble for them to sort out. On both occasions I have been very satisfied with their service. Thank you 💐

Date of experience: 28 February 2026

Harry Bennett

Good for the planet, good for me too!

I’d been interested in doing all I can for the planet, for nature and the environment. I donate monthly to WWF and now I’ve found a way to help the environment further! A great mobile network that aligns with my values. The signal is exceptional, I moved from Tesco Mobile and yes it may be slightly more money but I know that any profits are going to causes I believe in. Since joining EcoTalk, I also established that they are also owned by the same founder of Ecotricity. So I’ve switched our home energy company to Ecotricity too!

Date of experience: 30 January 2026

Isabel

Real customer services

You can actually speak to a real, helpful and lovely person.

Date of experience: 22 January 2026

Marcia

Everything is made easy

Everything is made easy, the SIM arrived quickly and changing over was mostly problem free, one little problem I had was dealt with efficiently by a professional and friendly customer service individual. Profits supporting our wildlife is the main reason I joined. Very pleased, well done Ecotalk.