Nature Recovery Rotherham is a call to action for individuals, families, local businesses, organisations, schools and colleges. Everyone depends on nature, so we can all take action to help.
As well as a climate crisis, our wildlife is facing a critical emergency. More than one in 10 of over 8,000 species assessed in the 2019 State of Nature Report are at risk of extinction and 41% of species in the UK are in decline.
Nature Recovery Rotherham plans to declare a Nature Emergency for Rotherham on 23rd March 2022, as a way of raising awareness and influencing local authorities to do even more to help nature.
As well as declaring a Nature Emergency, there are lots of ways you can help nature starting right now! Whether you’ve got a windowsill, a small garden or a big piece of land, there are lots of things you can do to make habitats for wildlife and reduce your environmental impact. Here are Nature Recovery Rotherham’s top five actions you can take for nature:
- Grow pollinator-friendly plants in containers or your garden. Our top picks are lavender, verbena, honeysuckle, red valerian and marjoram for their scent, beautiful flowers and value to bees and butterflies. Just remember to buy peat-free plugs and compost.
- Provide water for wildlife in your garden. Whether you have space to dig a pond or a patio with space for a homemade birdbath, providing water is one of the best ways to help wildlife at home.
- Let green space grow wild. Pesticides and herbicides, such as weedkiller, are dangerous for wildlife and impact on the whole food chain. Why not let your garden grow a littler wilder, and enjoy the abundance of wildlife which will be able to thrive?
- Watch and record wildlife. Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust have a scheme called Nature Counts, where you can submit your sightings to a national database. This helps scientists measure the state of the natural world: https://bit.ly/3uFe8Vq.
- Write to your MP on environmental issues.
You could also join Nature Recovery Rotherham to meet like-minded people and get involved in other ways to take action for nature. Rotherham Climate Action, Environmental Action in South Yorkshire and Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust are currently part of the core group, and we would love more people to join in. We’re an inclusive and informal bunch, and you can be involved at any level, whether you have five minutes to send us a photo of something you’ve done at home to help wildlife, or a couple of hours to attend our action planning meetings.
Make yourself heard
To add your voice to the declaration of a nature emergency in Rotherham and find out how you can help nature, go to www.rotherhamclimateaction.co.uk/nature-recovery.