“We want to do something for nature, but what do we do next?”

Avon Wildlife Trust aims to protect and promote wildlife in the area of the former county of Avon – now Bath and Northeast Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. In this blog, Alex Dommett, their People & Wildlife Manager shares how Community Ecologists can support community-led nature action.

Working for the past year as People & Wildlife Manager at Avon Wildlife Trust, I’ve often been blown away by the different ways people take action for nature across the city and beyond. It’s filled me with hope, inspiration, and excitement about the future for people and wildlife in our local communities – one where we’re more connected.

Do you ever look out of the window on a bus journey and spot nature reclaiming patches of our city? I love spotting wildflowers on my daily commute – wild carrot, teasel, vervain, poppy, and evening primrose, all pushing up, often against the odds. If the bus stops long enough, I get to do a bit of bug spotting too! Scouting out mini nature metropolises for butterflies, beetles and bees, or more recently a charm of goldfinches (around 100! Wow!) snacking on thistle seeds next to the road.

Nature is nearby. It’s the verges on our way to school, work, or a nip to the shops, it’s our neighbourhood greens, our street trees. It pops up around the bottom of lamp posts and through the cracks beneath our doorsteps – maybe it’s even closer still, maybe you feel part of nature too?

Over recent years we’ve seen a growing movement of people who care about nature and and want to take action to improve habitats and protect our wild neighbours. More and more, we’re being asked how to do things, rather than ‘delivering to’ communities, and we’ve been adapting our approach to meet communities where they’re at. To do this effectively and maximise the impacts for people and wildlife we needed a Community Ecologist, a role dedicated to supporting communities to bring their vision for nature to life!

We’ve been working with community organisations Ambition Lawrence Weston and Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust on their Community Climate Action Demonstrator Projects – ‘Grow.Cook.Eat’ and ‘Really Wild Lockleaze’ through our dedicated Community Ecologist in Residence.

During these projects our Community Ecologist, Eric Swithinbank, has supported residents to; create habitats where they live and go to school, get to know who they share their neighbourhoods with, grow food in a nature-friendly way, and connect to nature in ways which are meaningful to them – whether that’s through foraging, bee monitoring, or sowing wildflower seeds! The key is, we guide action by sharing our ecological expertise in an accessible way to help residents make the most of the resources they have. We’re inspired by community organising approaches, where first the emphasis is on reaching out and listening to communities, and from there we begin to connect neighbours up and make the changes that collectively we’ve all decided to make.

So, how can Community Ecologists inspire community-led nature recovery? Well, you know what we’ll say, so here’s what this role has meant to local residents, Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and Ambition Lawrence Weston.

• “Having a Community Ecologist has been a joy and a privilege, He is kind and knowledgeable and his passion and expertise shines through.”
• “Our Community Ecologist helps to spread knowledge in a friendly and accessible way.”
• “A Community Ecologist has been key – a vital, knowledgeable, organising starter that has brought residents out, then together, breaking their isolation, enabling them to enjoy each other’s company and allowing them to organise themselves.”
• “Nothing is impossible with Eric (Community Ecologist)”

In total, through this work with Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and Ambition Lawrence Weston we’ve supported local people to create nearly 5 acres of new habitat – including wildflower meadows, community orchards, woodland, hedgerow, edible beds, and ponds, all within a short distance of where they live. That’s the equivalent to 3 Premiere League Football pitches! Or as I like to think of it, the length of 1,260 hedgehogs lined up in a row! Imagine if those interventions happened across every ward in the city…

But most importantly, together we’re building a stronger, growing movement of people who care about their community, each other, and the wildlife they share their neighbourhoods with.

“We used to see many of nature’s creatures, like hedgehogs, squirrels, foxes and so many others. The animals we used to see have all vanished. By having more trees and plants on the green, we will attract the animals again.”

Enter hedgehog stage left on a community green this Summer:

Resources

• Avon Wildlife Trust insights report
• Really Wild Lockleaze: how to green your neighbourhood
• Ambition Lawrence Weston: community food growing toolkit

We have released a series of resources over the last few weeks to share learnings from the Community Climate and Nature project. You can find them here.

The Community Climate Action Project is coordinated by Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership and funded by the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund.

Find out more about the Community Climate Action Project