The public is being let down by policymakers who are neglecting to prioritise natural assets, with just one-in-five homes close to green spaces in some constituencies.
For around half of the UK’s constituencies, access to parkland, gardens, water bodies and other types of blue and green space is scarce, with residents having no natural assets within 15 minutes walk of their home.
Of 238 English parliamentary constituencies studied — 44% of the country’s total — on average just 20% of properties were situated within 15 minutes of nature.
A new report by The Wildlife Trusts, Unlocking nature for all: How to increase access to nature for a fairer, healthier Britain, outlines how improving this access can not only offer significant benefits in efforts to mitigate climate change, it should also be a public health priority.
‘This research reveals stark inequalities in access to nature across England with direct parallels between economic and nature deprivation. Seven of the ten most economically deprived constituencies feature on the low access to nature list, including Bradford West and Birmingham Perry Barr, for example,’ said Matthew Browne, Head of Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts.
‘This access crisis is on a par with that of Victorian Britain, when filthy air and water led to a programme of public park building for the benefit of all. In facing today’s challenges, we need to embrace this same level of urgency once more,’ he continued. ‘At a time when the Prime Minister is promising growth in every postcode, he must ensure this is true in every sense of the word, building nature into the heart of community resilience and regeneration. Otherwise, he risks leading the only Labour Government since World War Two to fail to recognise the importance of access to nature.’
The report makes the following recommendations:
Improving local authority and community routes to creating parks and gardens
Making it more affordable for local authorities to use compulsory purchase powers for land purchase
Making it easier for community groups to buy land
Ensuring public parks and gardens are well maintained
Treating nature as essential infrastructure and thus freeing up capital funds to pay for the ongoing maintenance of natural spaces
Recognising access to natural spaces as a crucial part of development and planning
Making it mandatory for developers to create climate- and nature-friendly housing estates
Making access to major rivers, especially those in urban areas, a statutory right
‘The mountain of research and evidence from the public that shows the impact of nature on our physical and mental health is hard to ignore – natural spaces in our cities can literally save lives by keeping the air cooler3 and cleaner4 and reducing the strain on our hearts and lungs,’ said Dom Higgins, Head of health and education at The Wildlife Trusts.
‘The blood pressure of pregnant women is lower when they live near an accessible park or garden and young children who spend longer in nature-rich spaces have healthier lives,’ he continued. ‘Yet, despite the growing body of scientific evidence, having access to the natural world in whatever form that takes – from a river walk to a pocket park in an urban neighbourhood – is still not equal across the UK. In an age of increasing climate-driven extreme weather events and growing health implications, access to nearby healthy natural spaces should be the right of every citizen.’
You can read the report here.
Image: Michael Pointner / Unsplash
More on access to nature:
UK’s greenest regions ranked for access to parks and open spaces
