State of Nature report - RSPB

URBAN
With increasing development in cities,
space for nature is under pressure.
One solution is to create living
roofs. These consist of a waterproof
membrane topped with a growing
medium. Vegetation is then either
planted or allowed to colonise naturally,
producing patches of open habitat.
Not only can living roofs help a range
of wildlife 13 , they also have benefits
for ecosystem services such as water
management, energy efficiency and
pollution control. An estimated
26,000 hectares of green roofs
could be created in London, an area
equivalent to 28 times the size of
Richmond Park 14 .
Some unexpected species can flourish
in urban habitats. Peregrines now
breed in every UK county, using
building ledges as nest sites in
many cities. This offers people an
unprecedented opportunity to see
one of our most impressive predators.
ontact with nature has many
proven physical and mental
benefits. Since more that 80%
of the UK’s population live in urban
areas, it is essential that people living
there are provided with sufficient
opportunities to experience nature –
it may be the only chance they get.
One estimate suggests that access to
quality green space would save the NHS
£2.1 billion pounds annually, because
of the health benefits it provides 11 .
It is clear that people need nature,
but the reverse is also true – we need
to inspire the next generation of
conservationists to tackle the ongoing
problems faced by wildlife. The only way
to do this is to help people experience,
explore and understand the natural
world, because people won’t protect
what they don’t know and love.
Worryingly, today’s children have less
contact with nature than ever before.
The loss of urban green spaces, coupled
with cultural changes and the rise of
technology, means that many children
rarely play outside. As a result, they
are better at identifying Pokémon
characters than common wildlife 12 .
Even the most unlikely urban green
spaces can provide encounters with
fascinating wildlife, such as the striking
lime hawkmoth caterpillar. Bearing a
blue horn, it can be found wandering
urban pavements in search of a suitable
place to hide and pupate, eventually
emerging as a beautifully-patterned
moth. It is chance encounters with
such creatures that can spark a
lifetime’s enthusiasm for nature.
Some rarities can survive in the most
unlikely places. For example, one of
the few remaining sites where the
field wormwood can be found is on an
industrial estate in Brandon, Norfolk.
A few miles away, three rare speedwells
grow side-by-side on a garden bank.
Isleworth Ait, an island nature reserve
in the Thames, managed by London
Wildlife Trust, supports populations
of the two-lipped door snail and the
German hairy snail, both amongst
our rarest molluscs.
56 STATE OF NATURE 2013