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!