Nature Features

The recently launched ‘Parks, People and Nature’ booklet offers guidance for park managers, friends, groups and anyone involved in improving London's wildlife.

Lewisham Council's Open Space Strategy highlighted areas for improvement in Mountsfield Park including tree planting, a pond, stag beetle loggeries and areas of meadow and urban wild flowers. At Boston Manor Park, Hounslow The Friends Group converted a disused cricket pitch into an area of wild flowers and plants.

The booklet also provides guidance for Londoners on how to adapt now in preparation for the effects of future climate change such as increasing tree cover to provide shade in the heat and preparing for the anticipated increase in severe storms.

At the recent ‘Going Wild’ conference Natural England and the Mayor of London challenged local authorities, planners and developers to increase the amount of green areas available on people’s doorsteps. 

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said: “Wherever you live in England you should be able to access ‘green space’ whether it is a local park, a wildlife garden or even an area of woodland close to where you live.”

The Mayor of London and Natural England, working with London Boroughs, have funded £400,000 of improvements to 17 of the capital’s green spaces for 2007/08. This funding alone will provide around 200,000 Londoners the opportunity to visit a green space within 1km of their homes where they can access wildlife.