Festival of Nature is back!

Bristol and Bath’s Festival of Nature is back 10-18 June with a packed programme full of in-person, digital, and hybrid events, all aimed at helping people connect with and take action for nature. Hear from The Natural History Consortium team about the festival and other exciting events coming up in the region.

Having an opportunity to connect with and learn about nature can have a huge positive influence on both human and planetary health. Recognising the wonders of the natural world around us, even from the depths of an urban city, motivates us to all do our bit and take action to protect the wildlife and living organisms that are fighting for their space in our environments.

Did you know allotments and smallholdings are some of the most biodiverse habitats in an urban city? Everyday exposure to the intricacies and structures of the natural environment through gardening and cultivation can help nurture a personal connection to earth’s systems and the resources they provide us with to produce and enjoy life-fuelling food.

Food and nature are extremely interconnected. Our choices when it comes to food production can have a significant influence on the amount of biodiverse, nature-rich spaces both in our local area and across the world. You can help nature thrive through your edible choices by supporting food systems that promote an ‘agriculture for and with nature’ approach. These can include regenerative growth techniques, improved soil health practices, avoidance of artificial inputs and reduced food packaging.

Here at The Natural History Consortium, we recognise that not everyone has the opportunity to connect with nature through their own food production practices in allotments and gardens. We are also aware of how rapidly we are seeing a decline in our biodiversity, as outlined in the One City Ecological Emergency Strategy. Over the last few years, we’ve seen how important it is to provide people opportunities to connect with the outdoors and nature for health and wellbeing.

We plan to bring these opportunities to as many people as possible through this year’s Festival of Nature and City Nature Challenge!

Festival of Nature

Join nature-lovers across the West of England for this year’s Festival of Nature 2022, running Friday 10 – Saturday 18 June. Our team is currently putting together an unmissable programme of nature walks and talks, wildlife workshops, and digital events across Bristol and Bath. This year we have brought together even more passionate organisations and community groups, all working together to understand and improve the natural world.

Over the week, we will be running around 50 exciting events – a mix of digital, hybrid, and in-person activities – with something for everyone in the packed programme. With a line up full of inspiring activities from gardening events and green social prescribing sessions to family nature workshops and film screenings, you don’t want to miss this!

We will be revealing the full Festival of Nature 2022 line up later in the spring, find out more on The Bristol Natural History Consortium website.

City Nature Challenge

Keen to get involved in something sooner to help the natural world? Join us for the Bristol and Bath City Nature Challenge from 29 April – 2 May and connect with the wildlife on your doorstep. Work alongside people in your local area to find and map out nature observations across the region. All records taken will be part of a four-day global wildlife count, contributing to conservation efforts and informing plans for tackling the ecological emergency.

Participants will be using the free iNaturalist app to take part and record sightings – simply download the app, take a photo of the nature you find, and upload. Whether you spot a plant, tree, insect, or mammal outside your house, in the city centre, in a park, or on your allotment – it all counts!

Find out more about how you can participate in City Nature Challenge 2022 on The Natural History Consortium website.

Follow @festofnature on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to be the first to hear announcements about City Nature Challenge (29 April – 2 May) and the Festival of Nature (10 -18 June) and connect with other individuals and groups working to understand and improve the natural world.

By setting the wheels in motion now, together we can transform the future of food in our city, building in resilience over the next decade. So, what change do you want see happen that will transform food in Bristol by 2030? Do you already have an idea for how Bristol can make this happen? Join the conversation now.