Connecting people and nature

1. About

This page to be updated in line with discussion with leads

Restoring and managing wildlife-rich habitats is not just about wildlife. Access to wildlife is critically important for us as well…..health, education etc etc

Connecting People to Nature in Devon is about creating fair, inspiring, and meaningful opportunities for everyone to experience the benefits of the natural world – wherever they live, and however they engage.

Rooted in the shared goals of Wild About Devon, Naturally Healthy, and the Network for Environmental Educators in Devon, this work brings together communities, organisations, and decision-makers to ensure that nature is part of everyday life.

It recognises that access is more than physical proximity – it’s about valued local spaces, inclusive design, and community-led action. From mapping need and opportunity, to supporting grassroots projects and improving strategic planning, we’re working to connect people to nature in ways that reflect local priorities, support wellbeing, and contribute to nature recovery.

This is a collective effort to make Devon a place where nature is for everyone – now and for the future.

Key pressures and opportunities

to be added next week

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Funding

to be added

2. What we need to do and where

Priority

Everyone is able to connect with nature where they live and beyond.

Delivering the actions below will help to meet education and health priorities as well as the national target to ensure that everyone in England lives within a 15 minute walk of a green or blue space.

Actions – all draft

Manage and create accessible wildlife-rich spaces in Devon’s cities, towns and villages

Other actions include:

Include access to nature in relevant strategies such as: Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs), health strategies, and planning frameworks.
Support communities and schools to use these wildlife-rich spaces and to connect with nature.
Improve sustainable travel to more rural accessible wildlife rich spaces across Devon such as the coast, Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Improve and promote the Explore Devon website to help people find local and accessible sites.

Increase outdoor learning

Join / support the Network for Environmental Educators in Devon to embed Outdoor Learning into the curriculum.
Use Devon’s natural environment to help achieve education outcomes.
Provide support to teacher’s to enable them to do Outdoor Learning.

Support the Devon Naturally Healthy initiative

Join / support the Devon Naturally Healthy initiative to embed access to nature into public health work and social prescribing.

Support community action

Join / support the Wild About Devon community action network to support communities to take action for wildlife across Devon.

See the Devon Local Nature Partnership website for more information relating to Naturally Healthy, Wild about Devon and the Network for Environmental Educators in Devon.

Where to focus action

All cities, towns and villages! Accessible wildlife-rich green spaces are needed everywhere across Devon.

However, the best place to start is within local communities – especially around the places people already use and value. These might include schools, village halls, libraries, or other key community hubs.

High Opportunity Areas: 500m zones around all Devon’s village halls and non-private schools, 500m roughly corresponding to a 15 minute walk. If this area is already rich in accessible nature then great! See Mapping

Other useful information to guide actions

Areas with higher levels of deprivation often stand to gain the most from improved access to nature. Deprivation layers for Devon can be seen on the Viewer – look under Other useful layers/Deprivation to see national census data.

However, this is just one factor. Community interest, local knowledge, and existing assets are equally important in shaping meaningful and lasting change.

Devon County Council offers a helpful tool that combines deprivation data with indicators like smoking rates, physical activity, and obesity levels. These can support more informed and equitable planning. Behavioural Risk Factors – Devon Health and Wellbeing.

Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Map is a valuable resource for identifying where investment in nature could have the greatest impact (but note that the mapping is not comprehensive for Devon). Green Infrastructure Map.

By combining local insight with strategic tools, we can prioritise action where it matters most—ensuring that everyone in Devon has the opportunity to connect with nature.

3. Inspiration

Case studies

To be added through Consultation – need some case studies from NEED and WAD – and then link to LNP website for more information. These are possible examples.

Green Minds

Green Minds was an ambitious urban nature project led by Plymouth City Council that reimagined how cities could integrate nature into everyday life. Focused on “urban wilding,” the project restored nature in urban spaces through systemic change, inclusive engagement, and co-design. It piloted innovative approaches to nature-based solutions, empowered communities, and reshaped policy and planning frameworks to support long-term ecological and social resilience.

Connecting Actively to Nature

Connecting Actively to Nature was a programme led by Active Devon under the umbrella of the Devon Local Nature Partnership’s Naturally Healthy initiative. Active Devon worked with a wide range of partners to encourage older adults (55+) to be more active outdoors by connecting with nature. This offered a wide range of inclusive activities – from nature walks to conservation volunteering – designed to improve physical and mental wellbeing while fostering a deeper connection to the natural environment.

Nature Buddies

Nature Buddies is a peer-support initiative that pairs individuals with trained volunteers to help them build confidence in accessing nature. Whether it’s a walk in the park or joining a local group, Nature Buddies supports people who may face barriers – such as anxiety, isolation, or health conditions – in taking those first steps toward enjoying the outdoors and reaping the benefits of nature connection. Active Devon is leading this in Devon?

Where to visit

Examples of accessible wildlife-rich sites, including in our cities, towns and villages are shown on the Explore Devon website.

Add a few good examples of places here?

4. Find out more

Add lots of links to education, health, community action, access etc etc – including links to WAD, NEED and NH on the LNP website.