The last couple of years have seen a mass awakening to the damage that man’s activities have done to the climate and the biodiversity of species across the globe. Although much of the repair work will require the resources of governments, environmental agencies and the larger ecological organisations and charities, the general population has become much more aware of the impacts on their local nature and will expect smaller organisations, such as farmers and building companies, to play their part in addressing the problems. If they are to avoid “bad press”, in what some are calling the “Age of Nature”, architects, planners, developers and builders will need to increase their provisions for our natural world in their projects, no matter how large or small they are.
Ecological support of this provision will improve the chances of success and reduce its costs by advising on the most appropriate mitigation measures for each project. Earlier posts have identified ways in which some communities and project managers have taken steps to help birds, butterflies, bees, pollinators, coastal creatures and trees, as well as improving biodiversity, but there will be many more measures that could be adopted to help prevent damage to our wildlife and restore natural habitats. If you need advice on the ecological aspects of your project, why not contact us?
Human history has seen the passing of many “ages”, as people increasingly developed skills and knowledge and applied them to improving their lives, so what has led to the dawning of the “Age of Nature”?
On the one hand, huge wild fires, caused by combinations of climate change and poor management of our woodlands and grasslands, have devastated large areas of Brazil, Borneo, Australia and the US. Additionally, major floods – resulting from the destruction of peatlands, coral reefs, wetlands and the inappropriate modification of rivers, along with increased rainfall associated with climate change – have caused untold misery in communities across the globe, whilst paradoxically, other communities in Australia and Madagascar have been suffering from severe, long-term drought. Furthermore, communities that rely on the sea for their living have suffered hugely as fish populations have crashed and coastal habitats have been ruined reducing the availability of crustaceans and shellfish. Moreover, in many areas of the world, we are discovering that we have drained huge areas of their underground water reserves, not only changing the local vegetation and animals that live on it, but making human survival there impossible or very expensive. Millions of people across the world are now therefore realising that, no matter how advanced our technology, we remain part of nature and not separated from it, and that our activities are threatening human existence and not just that of the wild animals that we see on TV.
On the other hand, the restrictions imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic seem to have increased the need for people to engage with the natural world. As a result, more people have turned to their gardens, local parks and wild areas for respite, and organisations like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Trust for Ornithology and Butterfly Conservation have reported huge increases in the numbers of participants in the monitoring of wildlife around their homes. In addition, TV programmes have increasingly covered the nature in our back yards, and the impact that our actions have had on UK populations of animals, birds, butterflies and bees, as well as highlighting the wonders in more exotic parts of the world. Furthermore, the widespread use of social media has made it easy to raise and support petitions to save local nature and to post adverse comments against organisations that don’t appear to be taking the problems seriously. Of course, the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, included in the Environmental Bill, along with increased public pressure, is also likely to prompt local government to develop and manage local biodiversity plans and to apply planning regulations more comprehensively. Finally, many are realising that nature-based solutions can, and ought to, play a significant part in redressing the problems.
There will therefore be a need for nature to be considered in hundreds of much smaller projects in all parts of the country. Can you incorporate nature in the design of your future projects? If you need help, we would love to hear from you.
JP Ecological Services 