Wildlife Trust calls for nature restoration to tackle climate change locally

As world leaders discuss the climate crisis, wildlife trusts are calling for immediate action to tackle climate change locally.

Berkshire Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) is seeking volunteers to get wild for climate change with the launch of a new initiative, Team Wilder.

The trust is calling on individuals, community groups and schools, as well as businesses, councils, farmers and landowners, to create “more nature”.

Team Wilder has been set up to enable people do to something “on their own patch” to give wildlife and the climate a helping hand.

BBOWT is calling for people to encourage nature in “vital spaces” where it is currently struggling.

These vital spaces include school grounds, playing fields and gardens, as well as business sites, farmland and road verges.

BBOWT community engagement director Liz Shearer, who is co-ordinating Team Wilder, said that it is “easy to feel powerless” when looking at the current state of the climate.

She said: “Team Wilder enables you to take positive action to help. If we all do our bit for wildlife, we can help fix our climate too – but we need many more people on nature’s side across our three counties.

“The science shows that if just one in four people does something to help wildlife, together we can tip the scales back in nature’s favour – whether that’s feeding the birds, creating a wildlife garden at work, lobbying your local MP or planting a mini woodland.

“We can all be part of the solution to this crisis.”

The organisation wants to encourage people to share their skills, knowledge and experience in order to “bring nature back.”

The trust has offered up ideas for those who are interested in taking action right now.

A few of the actions that can be taken immediately include picking up litter on walks, lobbying local MPs to stand up for nature, setting up a community nature group, asking local schools, churches or sports clubs to make space for wildlife, and lobbying local councils for more wild spaces in parks and on road verges.

It has also suggested creating an office wildlife garden at work, eating less meat, buying locally-produced food, using cars less and leaving parts of the lawn unmown to grow wildflowers.

BBOWT president Steve Backshall said: “Our hope is to create a community of people from all different walks of life who want to give nature a second chance.

“You could be starting small by planting nectar rich flowers in the garden for the bees or cutting a hole in the fence for the hedgehogs or maybe making a wildlife pond, but we’re going to build up to think bigger.

“All of us together can start to create different parts of that wildlife jigsaw that can really help nature bounce back on our own patch. So get involved and join Team Wilder.”

The trust is holding an online launch event on Thursday, November 18, at 7.30pm.

You can book a place on the event here: bbowt.org.uk/events/2021-11-18-be-part-team-wilder