This guide aims to increase public awareness of the importance of biodiversity, specifically on freshwater and wetland habitats as hosts for wildlife. It also aims to increase public engagement in conservation and restoration activity. Pressures that threaten the natural world are summarised and indicative trends are described; selected priority habitats are characterised, and the range of wildlife that inhabit them is highlighted; the conservation and restoration efforts of a legion of institutions are acknowledged. Noting that many NGOs rely on volunteers to undertake practical action, this Guide identifies the wide range of organisations with which members of the public may engage and contribute.

Published August 2021

Wondrous, the natural world delights us with its intimate detail and magnificent displays. Even though true wilderness is largely absent in our crowded islands, experiencing nature can give us great joy. Often, we take for granted the benefits derived from nature and the environment. And, blinded perhaps by the seasonal rhythms, we may be oblivious to relatively gradual, medium-long term changes in the health and status of the habitats we have access to. Until that is, we notice that trout are much less abundant in our streams, the numbers and varieties of butterflies and birds we see and hear have declined markedly, and we read by chance our forebears’ recording that otters used to frequent a stretch of our nearby stream.

At the time of writing, the UK is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic for which policy responses include restrictions on social interaction and social distancing rules. These restrictions and any associated economic downturn may well result in substantial collateral damage to the mental health and well-being of many people. Damage though that may have been less for those of us who have been able and fortunate enough to access natural or semi-natural landscapes, alongside streams, lakes and canals in our neighbourhood. However, all things pass and as a society we should look forward optimistically to a post-pandemic future. Here and now, we should recognise the benefits we gain from nature and make efforts to help ensure that the protection and restoration of nature are included when building that future.

This point was well set out in The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review published February 2021.