What you can do to help nature

Use this page to find out how you can respond to the Ecological Emergency and help nature’s recovery.

How you can help

Nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history, but there are simple actions that you can take to help nature recover.

Select a topic below to find out ways you can help.

Make space for nature

Nature needs space to thrive, and even small areas such as a garden, balcony or local green space can make a difference.

There are many ways that you can make space for nature:

• Introducing more wildlife features into a small space using pots and containers
• Mowing your grass less often, planting trees or shrubs, or creating a pond
• Helping hedgehogs by making access points in fences and walls to link up the gardens in your neighbourhood, and by creating a compost heap for them to hibernate in.
• Putting up a nesting box for swifts, garden birds or bats
• Working with others to manage a local greenspace for nature through our Neighbourhood Nature Areas scheme.

Reduce your ecological footprint

Much of our impact on nature is caused by what we eat and what we buy. Often, small changes to our lifestyle can have a big impact on nature.

Some of the ways that you can reduce your ecological footprint include:

• Reducing the amount of meat and dairy that you eat (and buying better quality meat where you can), which can provide more space for nature as well reducing your carbon footprint and potentially saving you money
• Stopping or reducing the use of pesticides in your garden, which are harmful to wildlife
• Thinking about the cleaning products that you use at home and what you put down your drain
• Reducing the amount of plastic that you use and making sure to recycle any plastic waste where possible

Support organisations that are acting for nature

There are many local and national environmental charities leading the battle against nature’s decline through campaigning and practical activities involving volunteers. 

Some examples of organisations that are doing great things for nature in our area include:

• The Avon Wildlife Trust
• Bristol Avon Rivers Trust
• Forest of Avon Trust
• Avon Needs Trees
• Woodland Trust
• National Trust
• The RSPB

There are many other charities and organisations that are acting for nature. You can make a big difference by joining or getting involved with any of these organisations.

Other resources

The Avon Wildlife Trust has a wide range of online resources to provide ideas and help you to help nature.

Carbon Copy have identified 25 big local actions for climate and nature. Find out how you can make your mark, based on your interests, abilities and local needs.

We have published guidance to enable parish and town councils to take action for nature. See our Local Nature Action Plan webpage for more information on how you can get involved.

How schools, businesses, farms and landowners can help

There are many ways that schools, businesses farms and landowners can help to address the Ecological Emergency.

Take learning outside

Visit the People’s Trust for Endangered Species Kids Gone Wild page for wildlife facts, things to do and resources for teachers.

The People's Trust also provides useful information about creating wildlife-friendly school grounds.

Find practical ways to meet your environmental goals

The Bristol Avon Catchment Market provides businesses with a practical way to meet their environmental goals and embed nature in their decision-making.

As part of our Ecological Emergency Action Plan, we are exploring ways that we can utilise the Invest in B&NES website and other established channels to better communicate to businesses the benefits of investing in nature and the opportunities that exist to do so.

Deliver nature-based projects on your land

Landowners and leaseholders interested in making a positive contribution to nature recovery are encouraged to respond to our Call for Nature Sites.

The Bristol Avon Catchment Market offers farmers and landholders a new way to receive income to deliver nature-based projects.

The Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group website provides a wealth of information on wildlife-friendly farming, including countryside stewardship, soil management and farm habitats and species. 

The Forest of Avon Trust offers free advice on Trees for Climate and other tree-planting grant schemes.