I have been passionate about wildlife, since spotting a Kingfisher in the centre of Birmingham at the age of 6. I am now a patch watcher and member of the advisory group that covers my Local Nature Reserve. David Attenboroughs State of Nature report has moved me such, that I have created a network aimed at helping to halt the decline of the UKs diverse and beautiful wildlife. Please find below, our Month 2 Progress Report. I trust that you will agree that, considering this initiative was only launched on 13th August 2013, we are indeed starting to move mountains for nature in the UK, and work towards our biodiversity goals. 85% of our member sites are managed by Councils, Friendly Societies and other local groups. MMNN can help in the following ways: 1. Engaging your local communities and increasing participation link 1 2. Increasing the uptake of coordinated and repeated surveys, and encouraging more people to record wildlife on your sites. 3. Supporting your Local Wildlife Network and increasing the volume of quality data passing through the LRCs and onto the NBN link2 4. By engaging the public and raising awareness of wildlife and its current decline, MMNN will serve to increase the pool of volunteers, attendance at events, and membership of local wildlife clubs.Work with your local schools will produce future generations that will care for wildlife and the protection of your parks LGSs, LWSs, LNRs and other green sites. My Grandmother guided me. I want MMNN to guide others in the same caring way. 5. When we hold 500 member sites, the appointment of a prominent patron and national trustees, will allow us to raise funds for projects on member sites. We currently have over 200 amazing sites registered with the network. 6. We are working towards producing more coordinated and repeated surveying across the country, and in particular across your green sites and the countryside that surrounds them so that you are better able to measure how well you are progressing towards your biodiversity goals. Joining MMNN is easy and is included in the progress report below. Thank you so much for taking the time to understand this initiative. I hope you are able to join us. Together, we really can make a difference!! Kind regards, Chris Millward movingmountains4nature.blogspot.co.uk smestowvalley.blogspot.co.uk smestowsightings@gmail It has been a busy month, as emphasis has moved from spreading the word to starting action towards our goals. Only a small amount of networking has been conducted this month, but even so our membership has now crossed the 200 site mark; way beyond expectations, considering the original plan was to attract 500 sites over a 12 to 18 month period. Some truly wonderful sites have joined the network and I look forward to working with them all. We are almost half way towards the 500 member site mark, where we will appoint a patron, trustees and become a nationally recognised body. 85% of our sites are council owned or managed at this stage. Our aims now are to: 1. Map and strengthen local wildlife networks around member sites, and prepare to engage their local communities. We shall be working closely with the Local Records Centres (LRCs). 2. Obtain species lists and identify at risk species for member sites. 3. Raise awareness of wildlife events taking place on member sites, in order to increase the level of participation and volunteering. 4. Raise the profile of MMNN, so that we can start sending our message to the media and central government, regarding the State of Nature and how we feel that our decline in wildlife can be halted. 5. Agree a surveying plan for 2014, to create more trend data on member sites with the national wildlife organisations. The following developments are working towards these aims: Local Wildlife Networks Local networks of recorders, wildlife experts, nature clubs and societies, friendly societies, volunteer groups and other interest groups will be mapped to cover the following areas of the UK, around member sites: Bournemouth Bracknell Forest, Berkshire Ellesmere Port, Cheshire Greater London: Croydon, Greenford and Tower Hamlets areas Leicester City, including Blaby, Oadby and Wigston Lichfield/Barton-under-Needwood area Staffs Macclesfield, Cheshire Redditch, Worcestershire Solihull, West Midlands Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire Walsall/Brownhills, West Midlands Wolverhampton, West Midlands Areas will be added, as new members join the network. Once mapped, the local networks will be engaged, so as to provide greater support for member sites and their LRCs. A directory of local schools and places of worship will also be compiled for future engagement and fund-raising activities Site Wildlife Records Our policy is to minimise red tape, and make information requests as easy as possible (our simple Welcome Forms for new members have been warmly received!!). Over the next few weeks I shall be contacting members, in order to obtain site species lists, and indications as to whether each species is stable, on the increase, decrease or has an unknown status. I shall also be asking for details of species which are known to be subject to heaviest decline or are under threat of loss from the site. The Local Wildlife Network and national organisations can then be engaged, in order to consider action plans, where they have not already been implemented. MMNN has the ambitious aim of PREVENTING the loss of any IDENTIFIED species from member sites. Site profiles can be highlighted to the local wildlife network to increase the level and areas of recording. Member Events Awareness and participation are key to switching on the public. To this end MMNN will spread the word regarding events on member sites. The new Twitter feed on this site has already proved to be an excellent way to help with this. If members have any events planned, please e-mail full details to smestowsighting@gmail .We will then cover the event on this site and ask local wildlife bloggers to mention it. Once the local networks have been mapped, we can add further strength to this awareness initiative. Surveying Once I have received all species data from members, I shall be working with their Local Wildlife Networks and the National Wildlife Organisations, in order to design a programme of surveys for 2014. There will be particular emphasis in obtaining more information on at risk species. By coordinating surveying across member Local Ecological Networks, we will gain more clues as to why a particular species is in decline. Councils need more coordinated and repeated survey work from local experts and volunteers, so that they can monitor progress towards their biodiversity goals. The Newly created Local Wildlife Sites (LWSs), also require more support from volunteers and the Local Wildlife Network in order to protect the site and build a bank of data for the newly designated green spaces, that are important to the Local Ecological Network. There is much work to be done in this area. Raising the Profile of the Moving Mountains Nature Network I have started planning an event for Spring 2014, which will demonstrate the power of MMNN. I shall be walking from Wolverhampton to an area of central Birmingham, via a member site, which is requiring support from its local network and community, in order to protect the diverse range of species and habitats that occur there. There will be BioBlitz events and fund-raising, involving local schools and groups, at the start, stop-off and finishing venues, and the local wildlife networks will also be involved. The local and national media will be invited to cover and attend the event, and this will provide a voice for our cause. Believe it or not, I have logged every comment and issue raised by members, biodiversity officers, rangers, bloggers, patchers and other interested individuals since MMNN was launched on 13th August 2013. These will be added to and converted into a draft document, available to members, before release, that will tackle EVERY issue that has been raised. When I said MOVE MOUNTAINS, I meant MOVE MOUNTAINS!!! The event will demonstrate how together, communities, Councils, volunteers and the local wildlife network can deliver powerful messages and also demonstrate a unity in the battle to halt the decline of the UKs marvelous wildlife. Finally a word to those non-members who are aware of the Moving Mountains Nature Network, and either manage or record the wildlife that live on their parks, LNRs, LWSs, patches or other sites of importance to nature - join MMNN today. Become a guardian for your much-loved area, give it greater protection and help us to halt the decline of wildlife in the UK. Joining is free and easy!! Just register your interest by sending an e-mail to smestowsightings@gmail and include your name and details of the sites under your control, or where you watch and record wildlife. You will be sent a simple Welcome form to complete that registers your sites with the network. Together, we really can make a difference!!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 13:17:44 +0000
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