Could this be the end of concrete jungles?

Cities across the world need to play their part in reversing climate change. There has been a dramatic decline of many birds, insects and some mammals across our cities. We believe that it is not too late to start the recovery of our wildlife. With a little thought and care, neglected areas of our city can be turned into rich ecosystems helping to bring back the life that has been lost. Communities have a fundamental role to play in helping to wild our cities, but to truly make a difference biodiversity needs to be at the heart of all policies that shape how we produce, consume, and build our cities. 

The world has lost about 60% of wild vertebrates since 1970. Declines in insects (pollinators, detritus-eaters and foundations of carnivorous food chains) threaten to catastrophically destabilise global ecosystems. 

The UK has failed to reach 17 out of 20 UN biodiversity targets agreed on 10 years ago, according to an analysis from conservation charity RSPB that says the gap between rhetoric and reality has resulted in a “lost decade for nature”.

The UK is “among the most nature-depleted countries in the world”, according to a separate 2016 report, with continuing declines in species such as skylarks, hedgehogs, many insects including butterflies and corn marigolds.

We need to push the government to implement policy that makes sure that urban land is wilded. Wilding is as much about soil restoration, flood mitigation, water and air purification, carbon sequestration and pollination as it is about more space for nature. Wilding can be a hard sell. Humans don’t like mess or uncertainty, and natural systems are dynamic, complex, untidy and erratic. These are the characteristics that bring both diversity and resilience. We must learn to read their inconvenience as a sign that all is well. We should be embracing the mess. The government must start to make the public aware of the value of biodiversity.