Would a Nature Premium help children recover from lockdown and set them up to learn? The case for this is published on the Wildlife and Countrysie Link website. The background to this is that during a meeting early in lockdown, volunteer directors at the Forest School Association (FSA) were worrying about the effect that lockdown would have on children’s mental and physical wellbeing, and about the inequity of different family access to nature, or even a green space. One director said, “We need a Nature Premium, you know like the Sports Premium.” There’s more detail here and there’s also a petition to sign if you’re minded to. §§§§
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Young people are not as aware of environmental changes compared to the older generation, according to a new report published in People and Nature, by researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London and international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society London). This is due to a phenomenon known as Shifting Baseline Syndrome (SBS). The paper shows a reduced awareness of issues such as the decline in bird biodiversity and abundance compared to a few years ago – meaning vital naturalist knowledge is being lost over generations without people noticing. This gap in knowledge and perception surrounding environmental data and conservation needs between the older and younger generation, which, researchers argue, could hinder efforts to emphasise the urgent need for conservation action for declining species. Here’s a link to the BES Newsletter with more details. §§§§
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The latest research digest from the Children & Nature Network is here. In this special issue of the Digest, articles address the benefits of nature-based learning for academic, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning and the development of environmental consciousness. There are also articles that discuss factors contributing to the success of nature-based formal and informal education as well as strategies for measuring success. §§§§
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The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said that there were over 700 wildfires between August 15th and 26th, burning 500,000 hectares. This is two-thirds as much, in just 12 days, as burned as in the whole of 2018, which was the worst year ever. The season has not yet reached its peak. The two biggest conflagrations, east of San Jose and north of San Francisco (see map), are the state’s second- and third-largest on record. The Economist’s report on this points the finger at climate change. There is more detail here. §§§§
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Here are the Plantlife top tips on managing urban verges for both wild flowers and wildlife.
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Bats are not getting a good press when it comes to the SARS-COV-2 virus. Ben Gardner, Director at Ecology by Design – an independent ecology consultancy, says:“Bats are an important part of our biodiversity within the UK and worldwide. If everyone has a greater understanding about bats and the role they play, it’s hoped they’ll be less unwelcomed. With greater knowledge about bats in the UK and worldwide we hope that people will be more excited to spot a bat and less fearful to live alongside them.”
Gardner and his team of ecologists have created an interactive quiz to engage people with bats, aid their conservation, and to most importantly provide the answers to the questions the UK public are still searching for. Please find the link to the quiz here §§§§
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Last week’s Economist has a couple of features on viruses. There’s a leading article and an in-depth feature. The former is full of fascinating information, and the latter probably has more detail than a non-specialist will ever need. Here’s one bit of info to get you going: “a fifth of single-celled plankton are killed by viruses every day. Ecologically, this promotes diversity by scything down abundant species, thus making room for rarer ones. The more common an organism, the more likely it is that a local plague of viruses specialised to attack it will develop, and so keep it in check.” §§§§
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A study from the University of Nottingham and the Sustainable Food Trust in the Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition, concluded that: “Milk produced from dairy cows given diets containing soya bean meal is a more sustainable use of land than producing human drink products directly from soya beans, especially when cows are grazed on pastures.” So, is milk from cows fed on grass better for the planet than vegan substitutes such as soya milk? It’s a complicated issues as a Times article makes clear. §§§§
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FED, the Foundation for Education Development – which was established as a neutral space for sharing views on how to build a longer term approach to English education policy and planning – is hosting two webinars in mid-September to celebrate 150 years of state education in England. The details are here. Registration is free. §§§§
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A reminder that this year’s TEESNet conference will take place online on Thursday 17th September 2020. It’s theme is: Education as a Pedagogy of Hope and Possibility: The Role of Teacher Education in Leading Narratives of Change. Organisers say that:
“It will provoke exploration of, and address responses to, global challenges and the ways in which these challenges suggest different approaches or narratives. For some, there is an urgent need to recognise these challenges in terms of crisis and catastrophe, and to prepare for significant uncertainty, change and ‘deep adaptation’. For others, the emphasis is on cultivating a sense of hope and empowerment, especially amongst young people. Between these two is growing recognition of the need to shift from individual to collective responses, engage critically with our responsibilities towards each other and the planet, and foster creativity in imagining and adapting to new possibilities for human existence.” More detail here. §§§
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UNESCO is organising an online workshop series on how to transform society through learning with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), starting from September 2020. The discussions will be organized in the framework of the new programme ESD for 2030 and will lay the ground for the UNESCO World Conference on ESD, taking place on 17-19 May 2021, in Berlin, Germany. The series of online workshops is organized in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, and with the German Commission for UNESCO as advisory partner. Click here to learn more. §§§§