Project Description

So I decided to write about how I got interested in Biodiversity. It got me thinking quite a lot! Why am I literally so excited to see a red squirrel, to see a wildflower in bloom, to learn about clever ways to help bees or hedgehogs? Why do I want to know the name of each plant and tree? I get all gushy when I see a wild animal, particularly a native one. A little baby frog just makes me feel so protective. Why?

There are probably a lot of reasons rather than just one. One main one I suspect is that it is innate. Given the chance all humans will learn to care about nature. Once we have enough exposure and experience being in nature, we will start to care about it. Once we have a role model of someone who cares for nature rather than exploits it, then we will too. I see this every day in my job teaching teenagers outdoors. They come to the Education centre I work in feeling mildly excited to be out of their classrooms. Some will leave wanting to be ecologists, others leave surprised at how much fun they had or how much interest they had. Nature really can transform hearts and minds.

As a kid I noticed how my father usually a highly strung and remote character would become almost Buddha-like in nature. He would answer my questions happily and label some of the flowers and plants he knew for me and he would become excited about rocks with a hint of a fossil in it, some animal bones, a few mushrooms, an acorn and so on. For me seeing someone who was usually fairly tuned out become almost serene had a big effect on me. Nature made my Dad more relatable and easier company. There was something powerful in this!

In some ways nature was my constant and reliable friend through a childhood of changes. We moved house quite a lot. For me nature became almost parent like. A wildflower meadow two minutes from my house really stands out in my memories. Playing there with my friends I would bathe in all the smells and beauty there. We would make up the most magical games and it felt like home. We would look at the insects for hours, making little houses for them and I would feel part of it all. I think nature has always been a comfort to people. In the recent past nature was healthier, wilder and more accessible. Kids could spend time recharging in nature and almost feel mothered. Now nature needs us to mother it. I am forever grateful to the natural world for those lovely experiences as a kid. Nature was there – the sea, the butterflies, the trees to support me when I needed it. I think we underestimate the power wilder places have to restore us. A swim in the sea or a walk through a wildflower meadow can help heal your soul.

I work with teenagers daily and I can see that teens need nature. Their world is so confusing. It is heart-warming to see them bounding around in the river like toddlers in wonder. I hear their teachers say how amazed they are to see the kids so engaged. Teachers have noted how a quiet kid has come out of themselves or a usually inattentive kid has shown a responsible side. Nature helps kids think beyond themselves. It makes them ponder, it gives them a sense of awe and it makes them feel protective.

We in turn need to protect nature for our children and the young adults of our country. We need to work together so that nature can continue to support us all. We need to save nature because it is what keeps us all good.

Photo credit © A. Rafferty