Get involved

Make a difference today!

You don’t have to be a biodiversity expert to get involved…giving nature a helping hand is within everyone’s grasp! Simple, easy to do things really can make a big difference for wildlife. And if we all did just one simple thing, we'd be making a big difference together.

How you can make a difference

Be a champion for wildlife, at home at work and in your community. Our partner organisations can give you great ideas and opportunities to make the first steps. Get familiar with what’s happening on your patch; check your local authority and national park websites for more details. Try out the activities below to get a taste of what wildlife has to offer! Need practical advice? Visit the Wild About Gardens web site for more information.

• Plant native trees and plants in your garden
• Minimise or avoid the use of pesticides
• Create a pond
• Leave wood piles to rot
• Make feeding stations for birds and insects 
• Build compost heaps 
• Create nesting site and shelters for wildlife 
• Install a water butt to collect rain water for plants 
• Go peat free
• Save a garden species
• Support the work of wildlife conservation agencies in your area by making a donation, volunteering or acting as an advocate

Make Space for Nature

BBC Breathing Places has some brilliant ideas for rolling up your sleeves and making your very own place for nature – right on your doorstep. You don’t need a lot of space or time, just get outside with your kids, friends, family, neighbours or on your own, and have fun sharing a space with nature. A Breathing Place gives you time out. It’s never boring, and if you’re good to nature then nature will be good for you. So where’s your Breathing Place going to be? 

Creating a local wildlife area can as large or small scale as you want and the Make Space for Wildlife leaflets produced by the Vales of Glamorgan ecology team are a great place to start. Each one is jam packed with practical ideas from making wildflower meadows to building bird boxes and homes for hedgehogs.

Consultations

Many of the consultation exercises affecting the environment are run by the Welsh Assembly Government. You can take part in consultations carried out to seek people’s and organisations’ view on things the government is proposing to do. Current consultations include the Rural Development Plan: Axis 2 Review of Land Management Schemes (closing date 19th Dec 2008). Biodiversity management is one theme likely to be considered in the Axis 2 Review. It's worth checking the site at regular intervals for future consultation updates.

WAG Environment & Countryside Consultations

Severn Tidal Power

Community Biodiversity Audit

Carrying out a community biodiversity audit may be one of the most worthwhile projects your local community will ever do. The information your community collects can be put to good use to improve your local environment and the lives of people who live in it and a downloadable biodiversity handbook is available to assist in the audit process. Taking part will change lives for ever and increase your community’s knowledge of its natural heritage. For more information on how you can get involved visit the Science Shops Wales website.