‘So you want to plant more trees?’ – A guide to commissioning and managing tree planting
Parks face disproportionate cuts, says research
Funding for neighbourhood services such as parks and open spaces fell by 27% in England, Wales and Scotland over a nine-year period (2009/10-2017/18), according to research by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE). Though a substantial reduction in local government spending has been unavoidable, the report says, the austerity faced by neighbourhood services has been too severe and isn’t proportionate to overall local government ...
Birmingham’s parks and green spaces valued at £11bn
Parks and green spaces managed by Birmingham City Council have been valued at £11bn over a 25-year period, with research showing that each pound invested returns over £24 to the local area. Set out in an academic study led by the council, the research outlined the various benefits of using green infrastructure, finding that that the 4,700ha of parks and green spaces store more than 2.1m tonnes of CO2 and add more than 3,3000 Quality Adjusted L...
Calming sounds of nature improve wellbeing, study says
Woodland sounds can improve people’s wellbeing, reducing feelings of anxiety by over a fifth, according to a study commissioned by the National Trust. Using measurements of elapsed time between listening to audio stimuli and subsequentbehavioural responses, those immersed in woodland sounds reported a 30% increase in feelings of relaxation and an almost 25% reduction in feelings of stress. For more details, click here.
25 YEP progress too slow, says NCC
The Natural Capital Committee (NCC) has warned that the government’s progress on its 25 Year Environment Plan is insufficient, claiming that there is little evidence of progress since the document was published last year. This failure, the NCC claims, is due to the lack of a natural capital assets baseline against which to measure progress, an omission the organisation claims is ‘especially disappointing’ given that eight years have passed sin...
Major landscapes in need of reform
Major landscapes in need of reform
England needs a ‘National Landscape Service’ to act as a unified body for national parks and AONBs, according to an independent review led by the writer Julian Glover. With the country facing new challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and a changing urban society, the model for managing important landscapes much evolve, the report says, with recommendations including changes in financing and a 1,...
