How you can help nature on your doorstep

Visitors catching and identifying meadow insects at a BioBlitz biodiversity survey — Catching and identifying meadow insects at a BioBlitz biodiversity survey at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, North Yorkshire | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

The scale of the nature and climate crises can feel overwhelming, but the actions we take as individuals can make a positive difference. Find out how you can help nature on your doorstep, from creating wildlife-friendly spaces to volunteering and campaigning.

What is the nature crisis?

The term ‘nature crisis’ describes the loss of biodiversity (biological diversity) on Earth, including animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms and the habitats where they live.

This interconnected web supports all life on Earth, including people. From the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, to the medicines we need to fight disease, all human life relies on biodiversity.

The nature and climate crises are two sides of the same coin – helping nature recover goes hand-in-hand with tackling the climate crisis. Healthy ecosystems absorb greenhouse gases, support biodiversity and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

How you can help nature recover

We can all do something to help turn things around for nature and contribute to its recovery. Small, nature-friendly actions can make significant changes, benefiting people, wildlife and the whole natural world around us.

There are many ways you can make a difference. From using your voice to helping to create more places for wildlife to thrive in our communities.

Child planting lavender with National Trust staff at Broadheath Triangle community gardens in South Manchester — Planting lavender at Broadheath Triangle community gardens in South Manchester | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Help create wildlife corridors

Wildlife relies on joined-up habitats to move easily between different areas to feed, breed and find shelter. However, roads, developments and, in some cases, intensive farming practices, have all played their part in restricting the spaces different species need.

Over time, large, continuous areas of natural habitat have shrunk and become more disconnected.

Wildlife corridors, also known as green corridors, are areas that provide a link between habitats, helping to prevent further fragmentation and isolation. And we can all play our part in creating them.

Our gardens and greenspaces act as wildlife corridors, providing stepping stones for nature across our cities, towns and villages. They're a lifeline for biodiversity, helping wildlife connect to the wider landscape.

You can help by inviting wildlife into your garden or outside space, no matter what size it is. Whether you add a window box or a balcony planter or work together to make a community space more wildlife friendly, collectively, small changes can make a big difference.

The UK's gardens alone provide more space for nature than all the National Nature Reserves put together. Our gardens and shared spaces are vital for nature to thrive. The more wildlife we can support on our doorsteps, the more we can join up our landscapes.

Make wildlife-friendly spaces

Find ways to help nature on your doorstep and bring nature back to your neighbourhood.

Hedgehog standing at the base of a dry stone wall — A hedgehog | © National Trust Images/Dougie Holden

Make a hedgehog hole

Hedgehogs have declined considerably in recent decades and are considered a vulnerable species. By creating small, ground-level openings in fences or walls, you can help hedgehogs move safely between gardens and other spaces to find what they need. These corridors are crucial for hedgehog survival, helping them to find food, breed and reach suitable nesting areas. Hedgehog highways are just one example of creating a wildlife corridor.

Go to the Hedgehog Street website for more information about creating a hedgehog hole.

Two bees on purple and yellow daisy-like flowers — Bees on erigeron flettii flowers | © National Trust Images/Laurence Perry

Plant for pollinators

Even the smallest of spaces like window boxes can provide a much-needed pitstop for pollinators like butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, beetles and flies. And it doesn't stop there – birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians and other small mammals also rely on healthy insect populations to survive. Choose from native wildflowers and plants that flower at different times of the year. Try to include various flower shapes and colours to suit and attract different insects, as well as night-scented flowers for night-time pollinators like moths. Coordinate efforts with your neighbours – by each offering something different, you can create a more diverse habitat in your neighbourhood.

Find out more about flower variation and the pollinators they attract on The Royal Parks's website.

Wildflower meadow in June at Nymans, Sussex — Wildflowers in bloom | © National Trust Images/Laurence Perry

Mow less or sow mini meadows

Thanks to Plantlife's No Mow May campaign, many of us are now packing away the lawnmower and letting wildflowers grow in our lawns throughout May. But you can also help provide a vital food source and shelter for pollinators like bees and butterflies by mowing less or adapting your mowing regime throughout the year. Consider allowing your grass to grow longer or creating grassy paths through longer grass where you need them. Or turning an area of grass into a wildflower area instead, by sowing a native wildflower mix. This will provide a more varied habitat for wildlife. If you don't have a green space, you could plant wildflower seeds in pots for spaces like windowsills or balconies. Or could you inspire people you know or land managers near you to mow less or sow a wildflower patch?

Learn more about growing a wild patch or mini meadow by visiting the Wildlife Trusts' website.

Fallen leaves in autumn | © National Trust Images/Nick Dautlich

Leave the leaves and be less tidy

Being less tidy in our outdoor spaces is a great way to help wildlife. It also means one less thing on your 'to-do' list. Leaving overgrown grassy areas, leaf litter and creating woodpiles from deadwood can help wildlife in our gardens and outdoor spaces, giving wildlife places to shelter and hibernate, nest and breed. Leaving seedheads standing in winter provides a valuable food source and shelter in the colder months.

A close-up of the hands of a child holding a small brown frog in the garden at The Argory, County Armagh. — Close-up of a child holding a frog | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Add water to your space

Providing watering spots at whatever scale you can manage in your space is one of the best things you can do to support local wildlife. From creating bird baths in shallow dishes or trays to introducing a garden pond or container pond in smaller spaces. Fresh water in your space will help birds, insects, amphibians and other animals access water to drink, feed and breed. Even small ponds can make a huge difference to biodiversity, attracting insects, which in turn support other wildlife.

You can visit the RHS website for tips on creating ponds for all spaces and adapting existing ponds to make them more wildlife friendly.

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Record your sightings

Wildlife recording counts as citizen science, which is scientific research that anyone can gather voluntarily, similar to the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch or Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.

Your records allow scientists to access data on a scale that they cannot achieve alone.

How to share your sightings

You can submit wildlife sightings all year round using iNaturalist or iRecord.

You can find out more about ways to record wildlife by visiting the iNaturalist or iRecord websites or searching in the app store on your phone.

Recording your sightings via these apps helps with the long-term monitoring of species, including their population and distribution. This also feeds into decisions on conservation, research and local planning, as the species recorded are shared with Local Environmental Records Centres.

Citizen science projects you may also be interested in:

Visit the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme website to find out how you can spend ten minutes watching flowers and insects in good weather to make a difference.
Find out about the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS) via the NPMS website and help build a picture of the diversity of plants and the health of different habitats in the UK.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) organises a range of projects, surveys and schemes for volunteers to get involved in every year. Some are suitable for beginners and can be done from home. Visit the BTO website for more information.
If you're interested in butterflies, you can find out about the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey by visiting the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme website.
If you live by the sea or like spending time at the coast, you can help marine conservation by recording the skate, ray and shark eggcases you may find washed up on the beach. Visit the Shark Trust website for more information.

Four volunteers with shovels planting wild flowers in Chapel Woods at Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire — Volunteers planting wildflowers at Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire | © National Trust Images/David Watson

Campaign or write to your MP

Are you concerned about something that has the potential to affect local wildlife? Perhaps you want to seek support for a nature-friendly initiative in your area, or lend your voice to a national campaign?

Writing to your local MP as an individual or as a community will give them the opportunity to hear more about your concerns and will help you make your voice heard.

Volunteer

There are many ways to volunteer locally and help the wildlife on your doorstep.

You may be able to help outdoors and get stuck in with practical conservation tasks throughout the seasons.

By volunteering at local nature reserves or with nearby projects, you're directly helping to protect local wildlife habitats and building relationships with like-minded people in your community. Volunteering as part of a group can also offer great wellbeing benefits and an opportunity to learn new skills.

If you'd like to help but aren't sure if practical conservation is for you, many organisations also ask for volunteer support in other ways, such as helping with events, office administration or education in the community.

Search for volunteer opportunities near you