BBOWT is inviting members of public to join a one-off event exploring how nature and climate solutions can work together, and how local people can get involved.

The Trust’s Conservation Strategy Director Prue Addison will speak at the event in Oxford next Tuesday, 28 November, alongside Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts nationally.

The event has been organised by Friends of the Earth Oxford and there will also be talks from Professor Nathalie Seddon, who leads the Oxford University Nature-Based Solutions Initiative, and Camilla Burrow, director of Wild Oxfordshire.

Prue Addison said:
“Now is a critical time for everyone to help give nature a strong voice in the 2024 election, and ask their MP and candidates what their parties will do to address nature and climate priorities locally. This event will provide a fantastic opportunity to talk about how we can do this effectively, and the other ways that we can push the nature and climate crisis to the top of the agenda.”

BBOWT has been exploring opportunities to help nature and address climate change for years. In 2022 the Trust completed work on a £2 million new channel of the River Thames at its Chimney Meadows reserve which allows native fish to bypass a Victorian weir and swim upstream to spawn for the first time in more than a century but also creates a new wetland that will store more carbon and help mitigate flooding which could be exacerbated by climate change.

The Trust is also involved in other work testing the carbon storage capacity of different soil types found at its nature reserves, and has been carrying out assessment of how local species are already being affected by climate change and could be helped.

Chris Church of Oxford Friends of the Earth said:
“The climate crisis is a huge challenge facing us all, and a severe threat to the local green spaces and countryside that we cherish. At the same time, our local nature faces constant threats from pollution, development, and habitat loss. It is easy to become overwhelmed by these problems, but this event will be a great opportunity to find out how we can make a real difference as individuals and communities. Groups in Oxford are already having a significant effect- come and be inspired!”

Craig Bennett, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, said:
“The climate and nature crises are inextricably linked, and we can’t hope to solve one without solving the other. With a general election on the horizon, we should all call on political parties to commit to five key priorities to halt and reverse nature’s decline: species recovery, addressing water pollution, funding wildlife-friendly farming, enabling healthy communities and tackling climate change.”

Tuesday’s meeting will take place at the Wesley Memorial Hall in Oxford from 7pm to 9pm. Attendees are encouraged to reserve their free place at https://bit.ly/unitedfornature.