Nature Recovery Rotherham

Nature Recovery Rotherham

Nature Recovery Rotherham is a call to action for individuals, families, local businesses, organisations, schools and colleges. Everyone depends on nature, so we can all take action to help.

As well as a climate crisis, our wildlife is facing a critical emergency. More than 1 in 10 of over 8,000 species assessed in the 2019 State of Nature Report are at risk of extinction and 41% of species in the UK are in decline.

On Tuesday 16 November, the Nature Recovery Rotherham held its first meeting online to introduce the group to people in Rotherham and provide information about why nature needs your help and what we can all do for nature’s recovery. Sir David Attenborough brilliantly explains why here.

There was a great turnout and this sparked conversations with communities such as Dearne Valley College, Rotherham Interfaith Group, Rotherham United Community Sports Trust, a local primary school and individuals who work in the environment sector as their day job and want to help their local wildlife in Rotherham. You can view a recording of the event on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Gf7SVFi_1_k

As well as taking practical steps to help nature, Nature Recovery Rotherham plans to declare a Nature Emergency for Rotherham on 23 March 2022, as a way of raising awareness and influencing Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to do even more to help nature. This worked well in Sheffield in May 2021, and we hope the declaration will have a positive impact.

How you can help?

Step 1 – Sign up to the declaration here and we’ll send you more information from our new email naturerotherham@wildsheffield.com

Step 2 – Ask friends, family and colleagues to do the same by sharing the link. Please tell everybody what we’re doing and why.

Step 3 – Share that you have declared a nature emergency with us on Wednesday 23rd March.

Helen Francis is the coordinator of Rotherham Climate Action: “It’s great to be working on Nature Recovery Rotherham as not only has it given us more focus as a group, but it helps to tackle the nature emergency which I wasn’t aware of myself until learning more about it. The residents of Rotherham connect to nature in their own way and this is our opportunity, together, to ensure nature is at the forefront of our activities and decision making within Rotherham, and we hope RMBC can work with us on this too. The impact we have had already from residents, community groups and businesses has been amazing and we’ve only just started this journey so I’m excited for what’s to come over the coming months.”

What next?

We know the declaration is just the first step. After that, we will set up a consultation for businesses, political bodies, individuals, funding bodies and organisations like yours who wish to be involved in Nature Recovery Rotherham.

We will then work together to:

• Find solutions that are great for people and great for nature, solutions that also help tackle the climate crisis.
• Set targets and a timeline. What does success look like for Rotherham’s nature recovery?
• Take action to bring back wildlife – from small actions in everyday life to securing more land and water that’s great for nature.
• Act locally, think globally, linking what we do in Rotherham with actions around the UK and world.
• Ensure everyone in Rotherham can experience and enjoy the benefits nature brings.

To add your voice to the declaration of a nature emergency in Rotherham and find out how you can help nature, go to www.rotherhamclimateaction.co.uk/nature-recovery.