Education, Advice and Awareness

Education, community engagement, and raising awareness of biodiversity are powerful tools for nature recovery. Whether through formal education, community projects, or simply helping people connect with their local environment, increased understanding of biodiversity leads to better decisions and more effective action.

Practical ideas

• Develop cross-sector initiatives to work with local communities and schools on managing their local environment. Examples include planting a community orchard, developing local food projects that also provide space for wildlife, creating wildlife areas alongside school sports grounds, and leaving wild areas in churchyards for native plants that attract invertebrates and birds.
• Encourage schools to sign up to Eco-Schools, the international programme run by Keep Britain Tidy. The programme offers dedicated topics on Biodiversity and School Grounds, and schools work towards Bronze, Silver, and Green Flag awards. An Early Years strand is also available for nurseries and pre-schools.
• Manage hospital, care home, and public building gardens to include areas for wildlife. Good-quality green space attracts butterflies, bees, and birds, promotes well-being, and reduces stress.
• Engage volunteers in practical conservation tasks and citizen science surveys – this builds community ownership of local green spaces and generates valuable biodiversity data. Records can be submitted to SBIS via our recording pages.
• Use biodiversity data to tell the story of your local area – sharing what species have been recorded on community land helps build public engagement and demonstrates the value of local green spaces.

Case study

Eden-Rose Coppice, Sudbury

The Dedham Vale National Landscape and the Eden-Rose Coppice Trust in Sudbury work in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to turn run-down woodland and meadow into conservation areas, creating a positive impact on the lives of people affected by critical illness. The site by the River Stour is the first of its kind in the UK – a woodland sanctuary for patients living with cancer or terminal illness, their families, volunteers, and caregivers.

The mainly wooded site has been transformed through volunteer effort:

• Hybrid poplar trees have been removed, opening up glades for butterflies and insects
• A pond, wetland area, and grassy reflection space have been created
• A hedgerow has been planted, and the woodland under-planted with native trees and shrubs
• A boardwalk and accessible pathway have been built to enable easy access to the site

The site is managed by volunteers and is open to schools and community groups when not in use by patients.