Author: mwn_admin

Gardens hold huge potential to address the climate and biodiversity crisis, yet they are increasingly being covered with plastic, paving, and other materials that reduce their ecological value. Urban areas are witnessing a decline in biodiversity due to habitat destruction.

Across the UK a shift from green spaces to concrete and plastic has led to the disappearance of hedgehogs, pollinators and other key species, highlighting the consequences of such changes. Urban gardens, parks, and balconies can mitigate these effects by offering habitats for wildlife, linking ecosystems, and helping regulate urban temperatures. They can also act as carbon sinks, absorbing pollution and providing a buffer against climate impacts.

Efforts to preserve and enhance urban green spaces can make a significant difference. Planting pollinator-friendly flowers, maintaining wild gardens, and creating specific habitats for wildlife can transform gardens into biodiversity havens. This not only supports wildlife but also connects people with nature, fostering a greater appreciation and awareness of the environment.

Protecting and nurturing our green spaces is crucial in combating the climate and biodiversity crises. By prioritizing gardens and natural habitats over concrete and plastic, we can create a more sustainable and resilient urban environment for both wildlife and humans.

These themes are explored in an excellent article in The Guardian, where author of One Garden Against the World: In Search of Hope in a Changing Climate, Kate Bradbury, has a “Long read” summary of her new book.

The world of bioacoustics is booming in professional ecology surveys, however it is a complex endeavour with recording devices, and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify sounds. You may have used Merlin to identify birds, if so, you’ve done some bioacoustic surveys of your own, Cornell Lab have done an amazing job of turning bioacoustics into an app that everyone can use.

The Natural History Museum is running a bioacoustics project of its own Nature Overheard: Tune in to Your Streets.

Insects are important for a healthy environment, but noise can make it hard for them to communicate with each other. They may have to change their sounds to be heard in noisy places.  

Join the NHM on the Nature Overheard survey, collecting data to better understand how road noise affect insects. Or take part in other activities to support their research while you build your own scientific skills and knowledge.

You can join the Nature Overhead survey here. Make recordings of your local streets and submit them, alongside a biodiversity survey to help researchers.

If you want to work directly with the audio recordings you can volunteer here. This effort will help build better models for bioacoustics, leading to better biodiversity data for the UK.

Are you a local business owner? Are you interested in how you can integrate natural capital to improve your ESG stance?

What: Unlocking Nature’s Assets: How natural capital can help businesses become more economically and environmentally resilient

When: 9am – 11am, Thursday 6^th June 2024

Where: Blake Conference Room, Canham Turner, University of Hull Campus, Cottingham Rd, Hull, HU6 7RX

Booking details: Humber Business Week

The aim of the event is to draw local businesses into the dialogue surrounding natural capital by demonstrating its inherent benefits. We will be using the example of the Blue Green Lab and how this can be replicated elsewhere to support flood resilience, improve water quality, promote biodiversity and increase wellbeing. Dr Robert Thomas, Senior Research Fellow at the EEI, will present on the university’s research in this area, joined by speakers from the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership (HEY LNP), who will set the scene with local examples of natural capital as well as a broader overview of the concept itself. The presentation will then be followed by a tour of university’s Blue Green Lab which will be led by Technology Transfer Assistant, Dr Josh Johnson.

It’s No Mow May! Plantlife’s #NoMowMay is back this year.

It’s a great chance to save some money, create a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution, reduce urban heat extremes, and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.

If you want to commit be sure to sign up to Plantlife’s initiative and register your participation.

You can also see how many people across the UK have comitted to No Mow May on this interactive map!

The Yorkshire Rewilding Network is running its Summer Site Visits for a third year, and it’s a very varied and exciting programme. The rewilding sites vary from wetlands to wildflower meadows, beaver ponds and country estates to community projects and urban gardens.

This year the visits run from April to September.  The next two are:

• Sunday, April 21st – Harewood Estate Family visit
• Sunday, May 19th – Leeds community land

To view the whole YRN programme on Eventbrite and to book please click here

The Wildife Society covers a recent paper in Scientific Reports where researchers found that spending time in places with a diverse range of natural features and species is associated with stronger improvements in our mental wellbeing compared to places with less diversity.

We definitely agree with this conclusion, before we even heard about this paticular study!