image via Grow Veg
‘The roaming radius of British children — i.e.. the distance they wander from their home — has shrunk by 90 per cent in the last 30 years
It’s a disheartening statistic, but one that has inspired award-winning filmmaker David Bond, who, keen for future generations not to miss out on the magic of the great outdoors, dreamed up PROJECT WILD THING.
The film itself is only one part of Bond’s campaign, which enlists a number of scientists, nature experts, sociologists, as well as the National Trust, to set about selling nature to kids.
Conscious that it will take more than eulogising to prise them away from their TVs and games consoles, Bond also recruits a marketing team to lend their branding savvy and repackage the countryside.
A charming exercise in creative, socially-minded activism, PROJECT WILD THING is a grass-roots triumph..’
via Oakmeadow
A super couple of items from Monday’s BBC TV ‘One Show’. The first is about the new street play project in England, the following item about what nature can live in a square metre of a garden….The two items begin about 2 minutes from the start of the programme and last about 12 minutes in total.
Picture: BBC
The report, hailed as a ‘wake up call’ to conservation policy and practice in the UK, says that current approaches are not halting these declines. The data – collected by dedicated volunteer enthusiasts through many surveys – are impressive, but they only cover 5% of the UK’s estimated 59,000 native species.
One of the report authors, Dr Mark Eaton of the RSPB, said: “These declines are happening across all countries and UK Overseas Territories, habitats and species groups, although it is probably greatest amongst insects, such as our moths, butterflies and beetles. Other once common species like the kittiwakes, Scottish wildcat and arable wildflowers are vanishing before our eyes”.
The elusive Corncrake is one of the bird species which the report cites as a positive example of what can be achieved by conservation projects. In Scotland, schemes which support changes in the timing and methods of mowing hay and silage during the breeding season are said to have secured a three-fold increase in the number of singing males.
The ‘State of Nature’ report offers clues to the fate of the UK’s 59,000 species. Some of the species seeing the largest falls in numbers are turtle doves, water voles, red squirrels and hedgehogs.The reasons for the decline are said to be “many and varied” but include rising temperatures and habitat degradation through development or agricultural practices such as pesticide use. Species requiring specific habitats have fared particularly poorly compared to the ‘generalists’ who are able to adapt to the country’s changing environment more easily.
“This report shows that our species are in trouble, with many declining at a worrying rate,”
said Sir David Attenborough. He commented in a radio interview today – ‘There is no single answer – what we have to do varies from species to species.” He points to the many expert organisations that can advise on how to provide or encourage habitat creation; e.g. the Wildlife Trusts network plus a number of specialist bodies for particular species.
Links:
BBC report on ‘State of Nature’
Rewilding our children – article by George Monbiot
Other relevant articles:
Four Seasons in One Day (1): Climate change and the garden
Moths- unsung victim of climate change and habitat loss
Mistle Thrush missing…Big Garden Watch this weekend
Winners and losers in latest butterfly survey- 7 tips for gardeners
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From: aristonorganic
Nigel Boldero aka 'Old School Gardener'
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