Cities can seem like concrete jungles but there are plenty of wonderful parks and woodlands, farms and gardens in even the most urban environment. If not looked after, parks can become no-go areas where people don’t feel safe. At worst they become wasted spaces, a focus for antisocial activities, littered and abandoned by the community.
With a little imagination and care, these spaces could be havens for wildlife, promote community cohesion, provide much-needed activities for young people and children, encourage sports and exercise for everyone and inspire creativity and self-expression through graffiti art and murals. On a bigger scale, green spaces such as national parks, farms, wetlands and marshes are vital for the conservation of plants, animals, birds and insects.
Many species native to the UK are at risk of becoming extinct, with potentially devastating consequences. Biodiversity might not seem like an issue that is immediately relevant to your life in the city but preserving nature is important for numerous reasons: it locks in carbon dioxide (in vegetation or peat bogs), it protects us against flooding, it provides opportunities for economic development through tourism and can provide cures for disease.
It is not just our local environment that should be of concern to us. Rainforest conservation plays an ever-greater role in the fight against climate change. These forests are the lungs of the planet sucking in harmful CO2 and giving out oxygen. Vast areas are being cut down or burnt to grow crops, graze cattle or dig for oil. The impact of this is felt the world over, but most acutely of all by the native tribes whose way of life depends on the rainforest.
Otherinfo:
Taking action!
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Regenerate a piece of abandoned / overgrown land
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River clear up
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Improve green areas within school / college grounds
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Litter pick
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Create a school / college vegetable patch
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Make a short film encouraging people to use local parks
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Volunteer at a local city farm
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Recording your sightings of insects for the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society
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Campaign to save an endangered species
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Fundraise to buy a piece of rainforest to prevent it being cut down
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