Nature Reserves Neighbours Survey 2022

We are at a tipping point for nature’s recovery in Wales. It seems that people are at last waking up to the biodiversity crisis which has been unfolding for decades. 

Welsh Government has recently declared a nature emergency alongside the climate emergency, there is greater participation in environmental activism, TV documentaries (Blue Planet, Extinction) have mass appeal. But are we in an echo chamber? Are we bringing everyone in Gwent along with us? And is concern backed up by knowledge and translating into action? With the GG State of Nature Report hot off the press, we need similar insights into the human state, to inform and focus future engagement activity.

With input from LNP partners, we developed a short survey to better understand people’s knowledge, attitudes and practices – starting with those living within [1km] of a Nature Reserve. People living in these locations have been selected as they can play a vital and fairly immediate role in supporting our aim of creating bigger and more joined up places for nature.

Survey responses indicated Gwent people’s awareness of the crisis, key species and habitats in their locality, what they think the causes are and best approaches to aiding nature’s recovery at a local level. (This might, for example, include understanding and attitudes towards changing cutting regimes or woodland maintenance).

We hoped it would give us greater insights into what action people can or would like to personally take (from recording to planting) and what might motivate them to take more effective action, (for example by identifying local species and habitats people care most about).