Nature’s Recovery

What’s the issue?

Climate change and biodiversity loss are intrinsically linked, and our natural world is at a crisis point.

There has been, on average, a 69% decrease in monitored wildlife populations across the globe between 1970 and 2018 . A million plants and animals are currently threatened with extinction, and it is now widely understood that our actions as humans are causing this catastrophic damage to our natural world. Not only is this devastating for our wildlife, it’s also a big problem for humanity. We rely on a thriving natural world for our food, building materials, fuel, water, and the air we breathe. Research is increasingly showing that being in and around nature supports our health and wellbeing , and the World Economic Forum estimates that over half of global GDP ($44 trillion) is at threat from loss of nature – making it a very real business and political issue.

The UK is in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity ; in short, we are one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. The stark findings of the 2023 State of Nature report for the UK shows 16% of species are threatened with extinction, distribution of many pollinating invertebrates have declined by 18% since 1970, the abundance of 13 species of seabird has fallen by 24% on average since 1986, and 54% of flowering plant species have decreased in distribution across Great Britain. In addition, we are seeing an increase in invasive non-native species in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Yorkshire and the Humber is home to around two thirds of the UK’s native wildlife . The region’s varied, and often rare, habitats such as chalk streams, limestone pavements and coastal cliffs allow many species currently under threat to live and breed here, meaning Yorkshire and the Humber is of national importance in the effort to halt and reverse biodiversity decline.

The UK government’s policy is to protect 30% of land and sea for wildlife by the year 2030 (’30 by 30’). However, reported figures show that only 3% of land and 8% of seas are currently protected in designated and properly managed reserves . As the Yorkshire and Humber region contains two national parks, over 360 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and over 160 miles of coastline, there is ample opportunity to contribute to the recovery of nature. However, over 70% of the region’s land is agricultural (predominantly for grazing livestock and cereal crops ) and a further 8% is developed with housing, industry and transport infrastructure . With so much regional land managed in this way, we must balance human demands on land in the region with high quality habitat for the many other species attempting to survive here.

What needs to happen?

The recovery and restoration of nature in the region requires a series of interventions in how we use and manage our land and water, as well as a change in mindset where our natural environment and species other than humans are taken into consideration as decisions are being made. There are a number of positive things already happening in the region that demonstrate how wildlife can be incorporated into our ways of life, and opportunities to aid the recovery of nature whilst providing benefits specific to people. Here we outline some of the key approaches explored in our Delivering Impact session.

Land that provides multiple uses and benefits

We have a need to create more space for other species to thrive but also a finite amount of land on which to do it. Where land is managed to provide multiple benefits to people and nature more broadly, we create win-win scenarios. For example, the flood management scheme developed to prevent the River Aire flooding Leeds incorporated the restoration of habitats upstream. This slowed down the water flow following intense rainfall, reducing the need for tall, expensive concrete flood walls in the city centre whilst improving conditions for wildlife . Scaling up this kind of approach in decision-making across the region could have a significant impact on the revitalisation of our wildlife.

When in a healthy state, nature is also good at locking up carbon dioxide (CO2). Different soils, plants and wetlands capture CO2 in different quantities and at different speeds, so we need a variety of species (biodiversity) to support short- and long-term carbon capture. For example, water-logged habitats such as peatlands and saltmarshes that are close to their natural state lock up small quantities of CO2 each year for millennia. When compared with woodlands, peatlands lock up more carbon per square meter in the long term. But trees can capture and store large quantities of CO2 when they are young, so provide faster means to lock up carbon. We are also learning more about the carbon storage capabilities of our marine environment. Seagrasses, for example, are not only capable of transforming their surroundings to become thriving ecosystems filled with a diverse range of species, but they also have the potential to capture and store huge quantities of carbon . By having a diverse range of healthy, natural land and water environments, we create a stronger, more resilient ability to take excess CO2 out of our atmosphere and store the carbon safely, in the short and longer term.

Designing for nature

How we design and plan our use of space is a key tool for overcoming the conflicting demands on land use. We currently plan for what is referred to as ‘grey infrastructure’; things like schools, hospitals, houses, roads and factories all fall into this category. For this kind of planning, laws, policies and standards already exist that provide a way for conflicts over the proposed land use to be resolved by looking for the optimal solution. However, in focusing just on narrow or siloed human needs, we have engineered the wider ecosystems we are part of, making them dysfunctional.

If we were to plan for nature, not just humans, we could re-engineer our ecosystems to be functional again. Designing places for farmland, forests, grasslands and moorlands (green infrastructure) and rivers, streams, wetlands and oceans (blue infrastructure) could support nature’s recovery through offering a solution to resolving land-use conflicts, improving financing, and creating more equity in how land is managed. Because we have created so much damage to our natural world, accelerated human intervention is needed to bring it back to a healthy state. People can become agents in nature’s healing.

The Yorkshire Peat Partnership is a good example of the extent to which positive human action can strategically restore nature in the region. Yorkshire contains roughly 90,000 hectares of blanket bog which, when healthy, supports unique biodiversity, reduces risks of wildfire, improves water quality and is an important carbon store. Much of this land was degraded, but over the past 14 years the Yorkshire Peat Partnership have been working to systematically restore these lands by nurturing a collaborative approach amongst decision-makers, funders and landowners. Over 47,343 hectares already have restoration work completed or under way, and more capabilities are being unlocked through an improved understanding and increased funding.

Connecting habitat through corridors and ‘stepping stones’

In 2010, Sir John Lawton and his expert panel outlined 24 principles in the report Making Space for Nature which gained significant support and influenced a number of government policies. These principles are often now referred to in the shorthand presented in the original paper: more, bigger, better and joined.

Whilst part of that is about ensuring significantly-sized spaces (such as our national parks and SSSIs) are increased in number and made better for species other than people, it also outlines the importance of connecting these spaces. Progressing nature’s recovery doesn’t always require vast areas of land; sometimes it requires recognising where smaller spaces, particularly linear ones between the bigger areas, can be improved. Creating connections between habitats is a key aspect of supporting nature’s recovery, enabling species to move and migrate in line with their survival needs. One way to achieve this is to improve the quality of grasslands, hedgerows and river banks along existing linear connectors in the region, such as footpaths, railway lines, canals and rivers. It is also possible to create ‘stepping stones’, where larger patches of habitat are created along a route, close enough to each other to allow species to easily travel from one to the next. This was achieved in the South Downs , providing a replicable example for similar projects in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Nature’s recovery in human-dominated environments

When thinking about nature we often focus on rural settings, but urban environments are just as important. We tend to see ourselves as separate to nature, but we are not. We must remember this if we are to succeed in nature’s restoration. Nature’s recovery encompasses us as humans and how we interact with the other species we share these spaces with. The Yorkshire and Humber region contains seven cities, plus many significantly-sized towns, each with their own unique context – they differ in size and location; some are coastal, others are inland; some are dominated by particular industries, others are a melting pot for diverse activities. But they all have one key thing in common – lots of people. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the services and provisions that nature and biodiversity provide for the people living and working in these parts of the region. It’s also important that we recognise the impact large populations of people have on other species, and start to make changes in our own policies, practices and behaviours to protect their survival.

Our urban spaces have evolved to become networks of concrete-covered ground, hard structures, and busy transport networks. Some wildlife has adapted to these surroundings, finding ways to live alongside us on our terms, but these accommodating species are often persecuted as a result, seen as ‘pests’ that invade our human-dominated spaces. And yet, we know that the hostile environments we create are also detrimental to our own wellbeing. We know that greener spaces, rich in biodiverse plant and animal life, provide us with improved health and wellbeing, better air and water quality, and protection and resilience in the face of extreme weather events. When we design with a nature-first mindset, we provide a better quality of life for ourselves as well as other species.

Programmes such as Building with Nature and the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) provide frameworks for planners and developers to integrate nature into their developments, improving the output for people and the environment rather than nature being an afterthought or problem to overcome. Street trees, wildflower roadside verges (see Figure 2) and nature-friendly parks or sports grounds can provide a network of green infrastructure in urban spaces. Community gardens and participation in nature connection activities can re-engage people with nature, helping to restore our understanding that we are a part of nature , whilst providing social and health benefits.

As well as changing the priorities when planning new spaces or developments, we must look at how we enhance and restore nature in our existing urban settings. In Sheffield alone, there are 4,290 hectares of urban gardens, 685 hectares of urban woodland and 2,724 hectares of amenity grassland, such as playing fields and parks. Many of these are being replanted and restored to become thriving habitats. Increasing these efforts at scale has the potential to provide an uplift in healthy habitats within urban environments. However, it is not enough to simply ‘tweak’ our surroundings. We must look at the full variety of urban potential for nature and enhance the quality of habitat across these spaces, improving quality of life for people and other species alike.

There are many positive actions happening in our region and the increasing recognition from government about the urgency of nature’s recovery is heartening. But if we are to bring our natural world back from the brink of collapse – or even just to meet the initial ‘30 by 30’ target and start things moving in the right direction – policies must put nature first, collective action must be en masse, restoration projects must happen at enormous scale, and our own behaviours must change to respect, understand and live in balance with all species attempting to survive alongside us. This is not a small task and it is not yet happening at the necessary pace and scale.