Helena Dolby
People are the key to nature’s recovery. We need nature, yet we are increasingly disconnected from our natural environment.
“No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced." Sir David AttenboroughÂ
Many people feel unwelcome and unsafe in green spaces or are unable to access wild places close to where they live. Too often, this is associated with underlying issues in society of discrimination, privilege, or oppression. The environment sector must do more to overcome this and, at The Wildlife Trusts, we want to play our part to ensure that our internal culture is inclusive. The Wildlife Trusts will work to engage and empower people of all ages, identities, cultures, backgrounds and abilities, supporting them to value, enjoy, speak up and take action for wildlife. We will connect people with natural spaces and nurture their sense of belonging within them through improved community engagement and organising, creating safe and inclusive wild places close to where people live, work, and play.
We know that some sectors of society are more at risk than others from the impacts of global challenges, particularly young people who will most keenly feel the impacts of the climate and ecological emergency over their lifetimes and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. For these groups, issues around social justice are embedded within wider climate and ecological issues. We will engage underrepresented groups, listen to our supporters, connect people together, and enable and empower them to effect real change, so that we can drive better decision making for nature across the political and corporate sphere, at the local, regional and national level.
