Bringing nature to everyone

Plymouth Natural Grid is bringing nature to everyone with an award-winning partnership project between Plymouth City Council, National Trust and Real Ideas to enhance nature for wildlife and people, engage local communities, and create green jobs for young people.

One of the main aims is to increase biodiversity in Plymouth. Biodiversity is the range of all life on Earth from fungi to the tallest tree in the forest and all the creatures that rely on it for food and shelter. Climate change is one of the main causes of decline in species. Biodiversity loss also plays a role in exacerbating climate change through impacts on nitrogen, carbon and water cycles.  Enhancing biodiversity is an increasingly important part of climate mitigation and adaptation.

Efficient management of our nature reserves can make a significant difference in compensating for biodiversity loss and combatting climate change. It is critical for the survival of many species and ecosystems, and protection of areas that offer us wellbeing and connection to nature.

15 young project assistants were employed through the Kickstarter program (a national employment scheme for 18 to 24 year olds) over the course of this project to work alongside the Plymouth Natural Grid team across 12 nature reserves in Plymouth. We are using land management techniques such as coppicing, woodland thinning, leaky woody dam work and wildflower meadow creation to ensure habitats are as healthy as they can be to support a variety of wildlife.

We also launched the Junior Urban Ranger campaign, an educational engagement program to create mini nature ambassadors caring for their environment in the city and doing their bit to enhance biodiversity in the city.