On Saturday 19th January, more than 70 people overcame train strikes and braved the snow to come to Bamford village institute and discuss how we can bring back diversity and abundance to the wildlife of our beautiful area.
Participants divided into groups to discuss practical actions that we can take and policies that we can promote to improve our natural environment.
These are the ideas we came up with. We'll be posting a report of the conference very soon.
Community action
Compile a directory of groups for all types of action. The directory would be hosted by a neutral organisation such as a university.
Replicate Hathersage swift day The Hathersage Swift Group has been pioneering a project with great success in choosing sites and designing boxes, resulting in many swifts nesting around the town each year from April to August. The swift day gave the community the opportunity to get involved practically in setting up boxes. The event was a great example of how to involve people in shared action.
Influencing planning
Work on neighbourhood plans through Parish Councils
Respond to public consultations
Write to your MP or to ministers (DEFRA)
Campaigns on social media and in the printed media
Gardening and horticulture
Set up an Incredible Edible project
Get access to land, for example allotments
Rewild gardens
You can set up a portable garden using raised beds on stilts. Great for people who are renting.
Rewilding opportunities
Seek ecological advice
Guerilla rewilding, for example seed bombing to plant wildflowers
Establish agreed wilding areas in national parks, for example zones where no grouse shooting is allowed.
Encourage people to monitor local pockets of wildlife, for example meadows and ponds
Impose a CO2 tax on grouse moors
Rewards for activities that increase biodiversity and abundance and mitigate climate change
Farmers and conservation
Increase dialogue between farmers and conservationists
Involve practitioners in initiatives
Local mapping for environmental schemes
Promote these elements in a new environment and land management law