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22nd Aug, 2006
In February 2005 UWN held a national conference in Manchester attended by 120 people. It was called 'Greener Cities - Closing the Gap Between Policy and Practice'. Researchers, parks and open space managers and rangers, nature conservationists, policy makers and community activists were represented amongst the delegates. For the first time a platform was shared between Groundwork Trusts, Wildlife Trusts, Cabe Space and UWN itself. The Conference was also supported by English Nature.
The aim of the day was to showcase some current approaches being employed by four of the leading players engaged in promoting and managing green sapce in towns and cities. Delegates were given the opportunity to examine and challenge these approaches, and to look at how they could be integrated and supported.
Speakers included Chris Baines, President of UWN, David Nicholson-Lord, now its Chair, Deborah Fox for Cabe Space, Malcolm Barton for Groundwork and Nigel Doar for Sheffield Wildlife Trust.
It emerged that there are a number of clear concerns, common experiences and more than a little mutual angst. Overall there was a recognition that most people want towns and cities to be better places, contributing to improving people’s quality of life, and performing their functions better. The nature conservation sector however cannot always convince others that the natural environment has a key role in achieving this. It is as if there is a ‘glass wall’ beyond which we cannot go. On our side of it there are numerous projects and programmes, many skilled and dedicated people and much good practice. On the other side the world goes about its business as usual, with scarcely a nod in our direction.
There are exceptions, such as the Sheffield Wildlife Trust’s work with local communities, bringing nature conservation and other environmental themes into mainstream urban regeneration, and the work of other Wildlife Trusts, Groundwork Trusts and a myriad of small groups. Much of this activity however remains on the fringes of wider work in the social and economic fields. Its funding is often short-term, its benefits not widely enough recognised and its proponents isolated. The presence of CABE Space does though help to address this problem in the public policy arena.
Download the Conference Report.
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Final Conference Report |
