Bringing wildlife closer

Alex Morss

Talks: wilding up our parks

Restoring urban wildlife is an urgent matter. But where do we start? Do you know how to find out what's a priority in your area? Where do you get your ecological baseline if you are not an expert?

I am teaming up with Bristol and Bath charity, Your Park, again this year to offer more talks and workshops for parks groups and community groups looking for ecological expertise and resources on greening up city spaces.

Also, my one-hour green spaces habitat restoration talk is now on YouTube as part of a series hosted by Bristol Parks Foundation @YourParkBB on wilding up cities. I've been helping them with habitat creation on College Green after Greta Thunberg's visit led to a 20k public crowd funder.

As I've been involved in a lot of habitat creation, restoration, community and other wildlife work I realise most green space community people are unpaid and there is very little or no funding or expert guidance available because of Government funding cuts, even though an ecological emergency has been declared across the country.

Therefore my talk goes into quite some depth on thinking more ecologically. It is aimed at non ecologists such as parks volunteers, grounds keepers, gardeners, communities/groups etc who would like a more focused understanding and some guidance, resources & ideas on improving knowledge, recording & restoring nature on their patch. https://lnkd.in/gwdRzdp

My 4 page feature in BBC Wildlife Mag [August 2020] explores ecological depletion in urban green spaces in some depth.

Our wildlife board is now up on College Green in Bristol. Written by me, designed by Clare Challice of Inkwood Designs. New habitat creation is helping to restore lost wildlife at College Green, after Greta Thunberg's visit in 2020 and a march led by Bristol Youth Strike for Climate activists. A 20k public crowd funder followed, to improve the Green.

I've been involved from the start on advising on ecology, writing, talking and producing outreach. They have not been able to do everything recommended on ecology because of conflicting restraints but there is more to come. It's a challenging site, with frustrating limitations! Part 1 is done, more will follow.

Here's a link to a new wildlife recording project I've set up on iSPOT to record and share what moves in. Any wildlife snaps shared to iSPOT are welcome please! Experts will identify the species for you.

College Green: Flowers in Their Footsteps

I have been challenging and supporting the media on their environmental responsibilities and science literacy. I've been doing this on social media, in writing, public speaking and through advocacy with a network of supporters including the National Union of Journalists, academics, campaigners, politicians and independent media people.

One example is the media's promotion of carbon-heavy flying and other fossil fuel heavy marketing, in editorial and advertising. My calls for the media to own responsibility on this as a public health and wellbeing issue, in the same way they had to with regards to the promotion of the tobacco industry, are now backed by the UK Green Party. I spoke at the launch of a series of talks and actions alongside author / Flight Free UK campaigner Anna Hughes, ex-MEP Molly Scott Cato and airport campaigner Libby Scott. More here.

I have written and spoken on media environmental responsibilities for The Ecologist here and for the National Union of Journalists which has >30,000 media worker members and a member magazine - here. There is still a long way to go, but change is coming :)

Thanks also to Bristol Cllr Carla Denyer [who is now co-leader of the Green Party] who wrote this story in The Independent here. And check out the new campaign group @Badvertising