A natural future for London

Transcription

1 A natural future for London London Wildlife Trust s Strategic Plan London Wildlife Trust Protecting London s wildlife for the future

2 Comment by Sir David Attenborough Vice President, The Wildlife Trusts I fully support the London Wildlife Trust in its work to promote London s wildlife and maintain the variety and abundance of nature in our wild spaces, parks and streets. Contents Our vision, mission and values 2 What we will do for London 5 Strategic aims Clockwise from above: Red valerian at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening Helen Babbs Pond dippers Sir David Attenborough Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Coots and chicks Iain Green Cover: Mudchute Farm with a view of Canary Wharf Mathew Frith

3 Our vision for London A city where all people treasure wildlife and natural spaces. Our mission To campaign to protect London s wildlife and natural spaces. To engage, inspire and enable Londoners to learn about and enhance their local environment. To manage land for wildlife with local partners to high standards. To raise public awareness and influence policy-makers so that wise decisions are made concerning London s wildlife and natural spaces and people s access to it. Our values Cockney Sparrow Project Peabody and London Wildlife Trust have partnered to deliver a community project that engages residents to improve housing estate spaces and make them better for people and wildlife. Integrity: Our actions and decisions should be open, transparent and just. Inclusivity: We believe that Londoners have a right to access free, quality natural spaces in their local area. Resilience: We will fight to maintain London as a critical home for wildlife. Regard: London s wild plants and animals, and their habitats, are an essential part of the city and have a right to flourish. Above: House sparrow Shirley Freeman Left: Bird watching at the Cockney Sparrow Project launch Mark Pearson Opposite: An echium attracts bees at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening Steve Bennett 2 3

4 What we will do for London Water voles on the River Wandle The water vole, whose numbers declined catastrophically in the last century, could return to the River Wandle in south London after our project to help clean the river and restore habitats. London is a world city, a centre of global economies, ideas, cultures and technologies. It has an environmental impact way beyond its boundaries. Yet it is also one of the greenest cities in the world. It supports important habitats, diverse species and many natural spaces. London Wildlife Trust s vision is a London rich in biodiversity, where access to quality natural green space is a right for all. There are many barriers to realising this vision: the effects of climate change, economic recession and increasing population. But we believe this plan could help to make it happen. We aim to conserve and champion London s biodiversity by helping to provide high-quality natural green spaces for wildlife and people and by responding actively to climate change. Standing up to development threats Development can have a detrimental, sometimes devastating, impact on our natural environment. Over the past 30 years, legislation and planning policy, as well as a growing recognition of the value of urban green space, have stemmed the loss of wildlife. But further changes to the planning system and attempts to stimulate economic activity will increase pressure on wildlife. London Wildlife Trust is the only independent voice standing up solely for the capital s biodiversity in the face of these threats. We will campaign to protect biodiversity and develop politically astute methods to advocate a wildlife-rich city. Creating exemplary wildlife sites Development and competing demands on land will make London s green spaces ever more important to wildlife and people. Our protection and enhancement of them is necessary in itself. It is also an important way to engage with our supporters and illustrates how many more Londoners can adapt their behaviour in the face of climate change. We will rationalise and develop our landholdings to create exemplary sites for wildlife. We will improve the management of our sites by enhancing skills and by creating a sub-regional structure, allowing us to engage with more local supporters. Communicating wildlife benefits Raising awareness and actively engaging with Londoners is critical to wildlife conservation. Our increasingly diverse audiences will shape how we work and help us understand our collective values and attitudes to nature. Above: Volunteers at Camley Street Natural Park Opposite: A water vole cautiously emerges from vegetation Terry Whittaker 4 5

5 We will communicate the advantages of conserving biodiversity in London to a wide audience by involving people and demonstrating the social benefi ts of a city alive with wildlife. Talking to a wider audience London has always been diverse and multicultural. We will seek to retain our traditional supporters but we must appeal to the broader public and represent the interests of all Londoners. Within the next fi ve years, we will widen our supporter base. In tune with Londoners People are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. Many, particularly the young, perceive wildlife as dangerous, dirty and inconvenient. Where possible, we need to work from where people are in their relationship with nature and not impose our professional values. We will use appropriate means to raise awareness of the needs of London s wildlife, help people engage with nature and challenge common misconceptions. Embracing new technologies Traditional working practices are becoming obsolete as more and more communities connect electronically. Increasingly, geographical information systems are a powerful and popular way for the nature conservation sector to manage the data it needs for land management, policy and research. There is a cost to investing in new skills and technologies but this may be defrayed by savings in time, paper, post and print. We will adopt appropriate new technologies. We will promote public interest in wildlife recording and work with others to ensure that London s biodiversity database is exemplary. At the same time, we will not exclude audiences that do not have access to some technologies. Encouraging local action Most people pursue their interests locally and relate more to their neighbourhood than a borough or region. We will form community partnerships to link local interests with strategic nature conservation objectives. We will expand our sub-regional hubs to facilitate local activities. We will strengthen our relationships with local authorities and demonstrate that we can deliver their nature conservation objectives effectively. Tackling climate change The scale of the challenge of climate change is almost overwhelming. However, climate change also offers opportunities for biodiversity conservation. There is growing recognition that natural ecosystems provide services, such as fl ood storage and urban cooling, which will make London more resilient to climate change. We will work to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change on London s natural environment by the design, implementation and management of green infrastructure (connected green space and vegetated features to support wildlife and improve resilience to climate change), making our operations sustainable and engaging supporters at our exemplary sites. Better at business Public spending will be squeezed during the period of this plan, with an adverse effect on nature conservation agencies, local authority programmes and grant schemes. There will also be a move from grant funding to commissioning and contracting. This change will help us by generating unrestricted income but we could suffer from growing competition for contracts. We will adopt a robust and fl exible business model that both sharpens our commercial acumen and meets our core objectives. We will become more successful at securing contacts and we will raise our profi le as a quality provider of nature conservation services. London needs us London s wildlife faces many very serious challenges in the next fi ve years. London Wildlife Trust has never been more needed or more important to the future of London s wildlife and the life of Londoners in our great city. Right: Six-spot burnet moth Jamie Grier Left: Goat release at Hutchinson s Bank, Croydon Helen Babbs Chalking up London s downs The scents of summer flowers and hum of insects are returning to London s chalk grasslands, thanks to our work to protect these special places from encroaching scrub and woodland. 6 7

6 Right: Helping hands Below: Staff from BNY Mellon volunteer at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening Strategic aims Corporate work days Our primary aim To advocate and help deliver an inclusive ecological green infrastructure across London. We seek to build broad support among Londoners for conserving biodiversity and increasing engagement with wildlife. We will work in ways that are environmentally sustainable, socially-beneficial and facilitate adaptation to climate change. Across London we will: Deliver our vision for green infrastructure in ways that resonate with Londoners lives and take account of developments in the environmental movement. Develop our core wildlife sites to demonstrate best practice in urban nature conservation management. Promote wider habitat management through Living Landscapes, supporting The Wildlife Trusts national strategy. Increase public awareness of the value of London s biodiversity and the benefi ts of active engagement in biodiversity conservation. Use our infl uence to embed the vision for green infrastructure in London s policy and planning frameworks so that it is central to key land-use developments and management practices. Campaign to realise the vision for London s green infrastructure. In our organisation we will: Ensure our nature reserve portfolio supports our strategic aim through the acquisition and divestment of landholdings and the adoption of robust management plans for all our sites. Make all our activities environmentally sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint to exemplary levels. Strengthen our strategic and operational partnerships to improve knowledge and skills and build support for achieving shared aims. Increase the representation of underrepresented groups in our work so that everything we do more accurately refl ects London s population. Focus our efforts on delivering the Strategic Plan by: Employing skilled and knowledgeable people who are committed to achieving our strategic aims; Devolving strategic delivery of projects and services to the most effective level; Empowering staff and volunteers; Ensuring that our leadership, culture, systems and working practices deliver our activities in the most effi cient and effective ways. Team building while learning conservation skills helps engage London s business community with the capital s natural environment. 9

7 Sponsor s s message Crossrail is the new high frequency, sustainable and accessible railway for London and the South East. Our vision is to deliver a world- class affordable railway safely through effective partnerships. We are committed to pursuing sustainability in its broadest sense throughout all stages of the delivery of the project. The Young Crossrail education programme works with schools along the route to stimulate interest in careers in transport, engineering, construction and rail infrastructure, creating a legacy that will last long after the railway has been completed. London Wildlife Trust Skyline House 200 Union Street London SE1 0LX enquiries@wildlondon.org.uk Registered charity no