Connecting communities with nature: new report published

A recent report by Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), funded by Mend the Gap, makes clear that communities in the Mend the Gap programme area value the unique landscape of the area they live in – but would like more opportunities to access and care for it.

BBOWT spoke with members of more than 40 local organisations in order to better understand how local communities value and access nature and their local landscape. A particular focus was placed on engaging with people representing communities that have the most to gain from accessing nature-rich local green spaces, perhaps due to health conditions or financial circumstances.

What comes through clearly in the report is the love that local people have for their landscape and local environment – evidenced by the large number of grass roots organisations working to care for and protect it. But there is also evidence that physical, financial and other barriers to accessing high-quality green spaces exist.

You can read the full report here.