Connecting with nature in London

For those who would like to be doing more to help protect London’s natural spaces, opportunities do exist. 

I live in Hackney and volunteer regularly as an honorary warden in the Lee Valley Park, focused on supporting the Rangers in the Walthamstow and Leyton Marshes. 

The tasks can be many and varied. I've done tree planting, invasive species management, fence repair, water vole surveys, litter picking and lots of meadow grass and bramble raking.

Whilst you make statements on the importance of parks and green spaces its hard to believe you are serious. Your Deputy Mayor approved an  application which will destroy a Grade 2* park. Over 20,000 people signed a petition against the proposal  to build on a park but their views were ignored

Lots of people mention that they dont like the litter that is around.  I agree, but buy a litter-picker and take it out with you when you walk, and take two bags - one for general rubbish and one for recycling - and wearing gloves is good.  Litter-picking makes the environment better and makes you feel happier too.  So much can be recycled, including the 'vapes' that you see everywhere - Morrisons have a special bin for them!

My concern is the dumping of rubbish in green spaces and waterways we have become such a dirty and uncaring nation towards our country of beauty. Tougher sanctions on those dumping rubbish.

Also I would like to see more protection for wild life against irresponsible dog owners and tougher sanctions.

We are lucky with green space in my area, having Hampstead Heath nearby. I do little to nothing to help and would be inclined to help with cleaning up or litter picking local green areas and waterways if I became aware of organised volunteering in the area, or further afield. One big problem which seems to be worsening locally is that of irresponsible dog owners not cleaning up after their dogs, sometimes even putting poo in bags and throwing it into trees or bushes!  I know our local council lacks resources and it would be very hard to enforce but if dog owners were heavily fined, or alternatively required to clean up dog shit in the area, when they allowed their dog to foul the pavement, roads or green spaces it might improve matters. My problem is not dogs, I love dogs- but irresponsible dog owners who are not held accountable, such as one person who regularly leaves dog poo in a bag on the pavement near our house- why?

I live in the City of London, they advocate the benefits of green space, but are happy for it to be on the roofs of new buildings. We need greenery at street level. Not necessarily to sit amongst, but to walk past. The City of London and central London generally needs a lot more trees AT STREET LEVEL. 

Everyone at the moment is jumping up and down in a frenzy about sewage in rivers.

It’s a problem. I don’t like it either

But it’s been happening for YEARS. It’s not a new issue. I want it to stop too but a little perspective!

Plus instead of shock horror some meaningful suggestions about how we can solve the problem! 

I hear Enfield have approved the obliteration of rewilded parklands to make way for a giant football pitch development. There is still time to stop that. Sports are important but that doesn't mean we have to give up valuable green lands to a giant commercial venture. Build more community pitches, not this. 

I'm in Enfield and close to the New River Path at Carpenter Gardens. The area was recently "improved", but it is over-mown and strimmed to death. I have surveyed over 25+ plant species growing in this area and have spotted many invertebrate species also. One tiny patch of ragwort once had 10+ comma butterflies feeding. The area is also seemingly only litter-picked on a random schedule or if I tell the council it requires it.

Mowing/strimming is seen as a "vital" part of green space management, but is done wholesale and by contractors who seemingly have no biodiversity training.  While the edges of paths and around benches obviously need clearing, bulldozing the entire green space is extremely harmful and locals comment on how sad it looks.

More joined-up thinking is needed on how green spaces are managed. Leaving just a small square of wildflowers in an area has immense benefits for pollinators. Contractors should be made aware that entire areas do not require mowing.

I have an extensive background in Conservation. I am a volunteer for London Wildlife Trust and I will be understaking a Wildlife Conservation Professional Apprenticeship in Costa Rica this year. I decided to dedicate my life to helping others connect to nature as well. It is very important.

I support London Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Brockwell Park. I have done a bitof volunteering in a local community garden. I would be up for joining litter picks. We need more wild areas. I would love to see covered rivers opened up and rewilded, eg the Effra 

PLEASE SAVE THE GREEN BELT SAVE TRENT PARK, please read more about these issues (via Trent park friends,  Enfield Dispatch)

The green belt of Trent Park, Enfield is under threat from being built on. Having grown up within Trent Park I know this would destroy and impact the whole park. I now live locally and am very concerned how this will impact my son and other future generations around the local area as well as the flora and fauna of Trent park and how that will impact the whole district. It’s disgusting to hear the mayor and council wants to build on green belt to expand housing, especially as brown space has been found in other areas of Enfield, but this has been covered up by the council for their own agenda (££). It’s incredibly disgusting to hear this two value system being pushed in London areas when we all have rising pollution and a need for green spaces. 
PLEASE SAVE THE GREEN BELT SAVE TRENT PARK, please read more about these issues (via Trent park friends, Politics London, Enfield RoadWatch, Enfield Dispatch)

I would like to join up with others in creating community gardens in Enfield but am not sure how to go about it. I tried to volunteer for Enfield Town Park but got no response. 

In southwest London, there are many thousand residents campaigning to Save Wimbledon Park www.savewimbledonpark.org.  The petition is over 21,000 people wanting to stop the development of the Grade II* Wimbledon Park by the All England Club and prevent it from being turned into an industrial tennis complex with 38 more courts and an 8,000 seat stadium.  There will be a net loss to biodiversity and the felling of over 200 trees.  Despite this, and against their own environmental policies the deputy mayor has given the plans the green light.  Why?  Gutting and unfathomable.  This is just one of over 50 sites across London under threat from developers.   See the CPRE London website.  

Six  trees planted on Thursday in Windmill Gardens by Lambeth Council are a welcome addition to our heavily used small park. The Scots pine and three fruit trees add to the five fruit trees that survive from  a volunteer planting day in 2022 and will brighten the park with their blossom in spring.  

Friends of Windmill Gardens (FoWG) use the fruit and veg grown in our small local park in other projects such as our weekly club for over 60s where a fresh hot lunch is provided for members.  

FoWG's gardening group meets each month to keep the plant looking good for local residents and also visitors to Brixton Windmill (built 1816).

• Each week I collect litter in Bishops Park in West London as part of the parks friends group. Last year we also planted a small wildflower patch in the park to help pollinators. On a more macro level I donate to the London Wildlife Trust and a few others
• I would love to do more to make space for nature in the public parks and green spaces - more native trees & shrubs, more wildflower patches, more bird boxes and bat boxes etc. I am keen to work with other friends groups across the borough to join up our efforts
• I know the council has a climate and ecology plan but it seems like sometimes the work being done in the park contradicts this plan e.g. too much grass mowing, hedge pruning, clearing leaves etc. There is a still a tension between the councils need to keep parks 'tidy' and leaving habitats and food for wildlife. I know resident education needs to be part of this too
• Knowing more about what is happening across London on a small scale would inspire me, and help me understand what is working/not working that I can apply

Two week ago I clean the green space  around my building. It is 10 or 12 meter square but I gather 7 bags of litter. 

I'd like to do the same in the Canning Town green spaces located under the bridge. That area is a bit larger and I am not sure about legality working there. I need to know more about this and maybe is someone else hopping the same as me .

I'm happy to be part of this group.

Nature Restoration cannot be achieved if habitats are fragmented. The same planning that goes into connecting our utilities should go into connecting our green spaces. We wouldn't live somewhere that wasn't connected by road why should we accept living somewhere that is not connected to nature?

Our bodies share the microbiome of our environment. The health of the soil and phyllosphere impacts upon our health.

We're not getting the maximum benefits from our interventions. For example, tree pits should accommodate more than one tree to allow underplanting that protects pedestrians from pollutants such as dust from tyres and allows the movement of  non-human life forms. 

No run-off water should go direct to sewers, it should pass through rain gardens to prevent pollution entering rivers. If all of our pavements were permable, the threat of water run-off and heat islands would be dramatically reduced. 

Native plants should be included in planting schemes to support native invertebrates. 

We shouldn't be breathing in toxic chemicals from the burning of plastics and spraying of weed killers.

The only bit of "river" in Islington is the New River which is in a culvert although there is a slowly flowing open section adjacent to the New River Walk in Canonbury.  This tends to silt up and de-silting work by Islington Council a couple of years ago in which silt was piled up in "abuttments" within the river because of the unaffordable cost of removing it from the site has damaged the appearance of the river and reduced the already meagre area of open water.  River silt is a useful addition to gardens and assistance with the cost of removing it to planted beds in the borough's parks and/or making it available to local gardens, both community and private would have widespread benefits.