Green Capital 2015: Focus on wildlife

Dr Bevis Watts, is the Chief Executive Avon Wildlife Trust and is a board member of Bristol 2015.

Being European Green Capital matters to my organisation, as Avon Wildlife Trust (AWT) will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2015.  It also matters to me personally – I turn 40 next year (yikes!) and will have spent 20 years plugging away to achieve environmental change in a variety of roles and organisations. 

Studying in Sweden for a year where I was very conscious of a different relationship with the environment relative to the UK originally inspired my career.  I’ve seen a lot of positive change and progress in the UK since then, but European Green Capital status for Bristol is a real opportunity to deliver step change on several issues and particularly the number of people participating in, and enthusing about, making it a more sustainable city. 

In my view the status has already benefited Bristol.

AWT alone has already been able to secure around £640,000 for projects that will be delivered throughout 2015 – things that wouldn’t have happened without the focus of the year, and not funding from Bristol 2015 or Bristol City Council.  Other organisations are doing the same, so, Bristol has already benefited from the status in attracting additional investment and several national and international events are locating in Bristol next year because of the European status, which will undoubtedly provide an economic benefit.  There are also a number of partnerships and conversations forming that would never have happened without having the focus of European Green Capital.

However, that isn’t enough for me.  I want to see real systems change and tangible changes that make Bristol more sustainable.  How realistic is that?  The Bristol 2015 team and the Council have done an extraordinary job in mustering a £10m budget for an award that doesn’t come with any direct European funding, however, that doesn’t go very far in reality and won’t alone deliver any major changes.  Therefore, my expectation for the year is that it should be one that is a catalyst to focus Bristol on longer-term challenges and changes which we start to address in 2015, and we move towards with a determined focus on those being the legacy of the year. Those long-term aspirations have already been established and published during last summer, which again represents another success from the focus of having the European Green Capital status.

The other reality of delivering major changes in Bristol is that they will only be delivered by us – people, not by funding and local government alone.  Therefore, it is really important that hundreds of thousands of people are engaged next year.  The arts will play a big role in that as Bristol 2015 tries to inspire and inform people about how they can take action and change Bristol within their homes and communities. 

There will be a plethora of local projects and events all aimed at engaging the population of Bristol and the wider West of England city region, and getting them involved in practical action to be part of the year.  I’m particularly pleased that the neighbourhood grants are giving communities the power to create their own projects and changes that contribute to the long-term aims of the year and that the small
grants will have a bias towards projects that reach Bristol’s less fortunate communities.  So, events that inspire, inform and celebrate will be an important investment, as will be branding the city so that everyone has a chance to be part of the year and journey beyond.

The majority of Bristolians probably have no idea that we already have a strong track record in the environment and things like our recycling rates and our cycling culture already provide leadership to other cities.  So, whilst we want to focus on new challenges and long-term change – we can also provide a lot of leadership and make
a big impact beyond Bristol by celebrating some of our successes and inviting others to learn from them.  Our city and our story being promoted are important to make an impact on others as well as benefiting Bristol’s national and international profile.

Looking at past successes, it will be 30 years in 2015 since Sir David Attenborough opened AWT’s offices next to Brandon Hill, which at the time were open to the public as the UK’s first ever urban wildlife centre when a large part of Brandon Hill was

allowed to become a nature reserve.  It remains an AWT nature reserve that is even home to some endangered species right in the heart of our city – this was Bristol providing real urban leadership and we want to do so again in 2015.  We live in the
fastest growing city region in the UK which brings huge pressures for more housing and development, and being European Green Capital will be meaningless unless we show leadership in re-inventing the relationship of urban spaces and wildlife. 

Britain’s wildlife and natural spaces are in decline to secure many natural services we take for granted, as well as to support our own mental health and wellbeing. 

We want to create new homes for wildlife in 2015 and create corridors for wildlife to move across our city.  In December 2014 we will publish maps that will show Bristol’s green spaces as never before and again provide leadership to other cities. 

Those maps will also show where people can help create homes for wildlife in their communities and will hopefully be the start of conversations across the city ahead of next Spring – imagine planting wildflowers, trees and more in your workplaces, housing communities or gardens.  You might even create gaps at the bottom of fences and walls for hedgehogs and reptiles to use! 

This is something all communities can engage with as planting a £1 pack of seeds and putting out scraps of food for birds can all make a difference. AWT is also opening a new nature reserve on a derelict site in the Avon Gorge next year, so we are also doing our bit in showing how we can create new homes for wildlife. 

However, we will be creating 4 reference sites in Hartcliffe & Withywood, Horfield and Lockleaze, Ashley, Easton & Barton Hill where people can participate and learn about actions they can take.  We also plan to give away 2,015 wildlife garden starter packs next Spring to give as many people as we can the chance to be part of the challenge. 

Bring on being 40!  2015 is going to be the start of an important journey where we will learn a lot and have fun too!  You never know, it may even inspire a Swedish student living in Bristol next year to take up the challenges and to start a environmental career…

More information on Bristol 2015