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Transnational Institute | Ideas into Movement

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The Transnational Institute is an international research and advocacy institute committed to building a just, democratic and sustainable planet.

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Transnational Institute

Putting ideas into movement since 1974

The Transnational Institute (TNI) is an international research and advocacy institute committed to building a just, democratic and sustainable planet. For nearly 50 years, TNI has served as a unique nexus between social movements, engaged scholars and policy makers.

Sign up for the newsletter to receive monthly updates on TNI's research, events, and publications.

TNI has a proud history of being at the cutting edge of analysis, research and activism on critical global issues.

Ideas into Movement

Almost 50 years of striding for global peace, equity and democracy.

Sign up for the newsletter to receive monthly updates on TNI's research, events, and publications.

Let us introduce you to some of the fascinating people we work with to help you make sense of the world's most complex challenges.

In-depth analysis and essays on a variety of interesting topics.

Achievements in 2022

At the policy level, we celebrated a huge shift in Europe against one of the biggest barriers to climate action, the Energy Charter Treaty. At the same time, we expanded and strengthened the global movement for energy democracy and a just transition, with a particular focus on North Africa. We deepened our collaboration with food producers, particularly fisher people's movements, to r esist false solutions to the climate and environmental crisis. We forged new alliances and authored cutting-edge analyses to challenge the growing menace of digital capitalism. In response to the growing global arms race and the juggernaut of militarism, we offered a unique and vitally important counter-narrative. We also drew the connections between securitisation and a number of salient issues, from drug policy to climate change, and urged more just and equitable approaches. Our proposals and narratives reached audiences around the world.

Sign up for the newsletter to receive monthly updates on TNI's research, events, and publications.

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Transnational Institute | Ideas into Movement

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The Transnational Institute (TNI) is an international research and advocacy institute committed to building a just, democratic and sustainable planet. For more than 40 years, TNI has served as a unique nexus between social movements, engaged scholars and policy makers.

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Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) is a membership organisation promoting responsible science and technology

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Alaska 'Icemageddon' warning follows heat record

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Alaska 'Icemageddon' warning follows heat record

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The coldest US state faces weather extremes after heavy snowfall and torrential rain.

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Alaska sets record high December temperature of 19.4C

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An unusual winter warm spell in Alaska has brought daytime temperatures soaring past 15.5C (60F) and torrents of rain at a time of year normally associated with bitter cold and snow.

At the island community of Kodiak, the air temperature at a tidal gauge hit 19.4C (67F) degrees on Sunday, the highest December reading ever recorded in Alaska, said scientist Rick Thoman of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. He called it "absurd."

The new benchmark high came amid a spate of balmy December extremes, Thoman said, including 18.3C (65F) at the Kodiak airport, a record 16.6C (62F) at the Alaska Peninsula community of Cold Bay and at least eight December days of temperatures above 10C (50F) at the Aleutian town of Unalaska, including a reading of 13.3C (56F) that was Alaska's warmest Christmas Day on record.

The most serious immediate implication for humans is likely from the massive amounts of precipitation dumped on interior Alaska, where the Fairbanks area was hit by its fiercest mid-winter storm since 1937, Thoman said.

Normally, December is a dry month in interior Alaska because the usually frigid air cannot hold much moisture. Whatever moisture does flow in tends to be "the more fluffy powder because the air is nice and cold", said Thoman, who lives in Fairbanks.

But so much snow fell that on Sunday it caved in the roof of the sole grocery store in Delta Junction, a town 95 miles (153km) south-east of Fairbanks.

Possibly worse, the heavy snows were followed by torrents of rain that coated communities in the region with ice, triggering widespread power outages and prompting closures of major roads and offices, as well as a nickname: Icemageddon.

The Alaska Department for Transportation warned that roads will remain treacherous for a long time because of the cement-like ice coating that has formed on them.

"Ice is extremely difficult to remove once it has binded to the road surface. Even though air temps were warm during 'icemageddon2021', roads were at sub-zero temps, which caused ice to bind to the surface," the department said on Twitter.

The blasts of warm and wet mid-winter weather have become more frequent in Alaska over the past two decades than in years prior, a sign of climate change, Thoman said. "This is exactly what we expect in a warming world," he said.

The story is similar elsewhere in the far north, where winter rains have proved treacherous to people and to grazing animals, like caribou and musk oxen, that struggle when ice on the ground covers food sources. Such hardships are expected to intensify.

A study published last month in the journal Nature Communications projected an Arctic climate with more winter rain than snow starting around 2060 or 2070.

Alaska will still have its winter cold - Fairbanks temperatures were forecast to plunge below minus -29C (-20F) this weekend - but warm, soggy episodes are expected to be more numerous in the future, Thoman said.

"A warming, moistening world has put our thumbs on the scale to make this more likely," he added.

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Alaska sets record high December temperature of 19.4C

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An unusual winter warm spell in Alaska has brought daytime temperatures soaring past 15.5C (60F) and torrents of rain at a time of year normally associated with bitter cold and snow.

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Climate change: Storm clouds gather after COP26

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Is the progress that was made at the COP26 Glasgow climate summit already in jeopardy because of challenges in the year ahead?

2021 was a momentous year for climate change.

But there are now growing concerns that this momentum may dissipate over the coming months.

The most grievous blow comes from the US.

Next move - China

It would also hugely affect the relatively unified approach to climate change on display among world leaders at COP26.

"Everything that Biden pledged, led to this relatively good atmosphere and a sense of momentum in Glasgow," said Dr Joanna Depledge, a fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance.

"But these were just promises, he needs to get the bill through Congress. And it's now looking increasingly dicey. He can do some things with executive orders, but that certainly isn't the kind of sustained institutional climate legislation change that we're really looking for."

"I think the situation to us, is critical."

"I am worried 2022 will see a fuller display of geopolitical tension dominating the climate agenda," said Li Shuo, from Greenpeace East Asia.

"The Chinese side will see how they are treated vis-a-vis others and make its judgment on whether the game is fair, and most importantly, if it is about the environment at all, or just geopolitics and trade," he told BBC News. Overall, I am looking at a more turbulent year ahead. The years before the Paris agreement were an example of geopolitics helping the climate agenda forward. What lies ahead may be the opposite."

This pessimistic outlook is echoed by the fact that next year's COP is being held in Egypt, and the one after that in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Neither of these countries could be described as climate leaders," said Prof J Timmons Roberts from Brown University in Rhode Island, US. The good side is that COP27 will be in a developing country, and some issues like loss and damage [who pays for the impact of climate change in the worst affected countries, and how it is paid] may get more traction, but on the issue of emissions reductions, it's not clear that they're going to be leaders."

Another key concern heading into 2022 is that some countries may simply ignore aspects of the Glasgow climate pact that they don't like.

One key measure in the deal was the request for all countries to "revisit and strengthen" their national climate pledges by the time delegates gather in Egypt late in 2022.

However, there are also some positive developments in the offing that could make a significant difference to the general mood around climate change.

These will be expensive, running into the tens of billions, but if they happen, they would represent a massive step away from fossil fuels. These types of arrangements, and the commitment to doubling adaptation finance made by richer countries will be key to progress in 2022, say officials.

Another positive is that the UK's presidency continues right up to next November when Egypt takes over.

COP26 President Alok Sharma has made it clear that he intends to push forward over the coming months in efforts to ensure that the agreements secured in Glasgow on deforestation, coal, finance and cars will start to be implemented.

Mr Sharma's background as an auditor will come in handy in making sure there's no slippage over the integrity of the commitments made.

"The UK, as hosts of COP26, spent the last two years working tirelessly with countries to build trust, which ultimately allowed us to deliver the Glasgow climate pact," he told BBC News. "We will continue in the same vein through 2022 to make sure countries keep their promises, re-visit their emissions reductions targets, get finance flowing, and deliver on the many commitments made during the two weeks of the summit."

Another positive is the fact that Germany will chair the G7 group of countries. The co-leader of the German Green party is now the country's foreign minister, so climate will remain high on the international diplomatic agenda.

Infrastructure investment in the wake of the Covid pandemic, especially in middle income countries, also offers a great chance to lock in significant action to limit emissions.

Small steps spell doom

The final agreement on the rules for carbon markets, agreed in Glasgow, has coincided with a record rise in the price of carbon permits in Europe and the UK.

While this has downsides, a sustained high carbon price could significantly speed up a transition to cleaner sources of energy.

But, as ever, global events could see all these potential positives quickly pale.

Disputes between Russia and Ukraine, China's disengagement and a drubbing for the Democrats in mid-term elections in the US could all derail or at least delay any further progress on climate change.

And stalling or taking small steps right now would be a disaster for efforts to keep the rise in global temperatures under 1.5C this century.

"Right now, incremental steps are a death sentence," said Prof Roberts.

However, the climate negotiations process is highly unpredictable - and even when things appear to be at their darkest, countries are often able to make sufficient compromises to keep things moving forward.

Certainly the COP26 president says he's determined to push ahead and that the UK can be a role model for others.

"Leaving COP26 with the Glasgow climate pact was a historic moment demonstrating the world's shared commitment to taking real climate action," said Alok Sharma.

"As we look ahead, the most pressing issue is the timescale on when this action takes place and the reality is that the world needs to act at a much faster pace."

"I believe we will reach a net zero world, and the UK is leading the way through our own actions such as rapidly expanding our renewables sector and working to eliminate the use of coal from our electricity generation in 2024, the question is whether that will be fast enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change."

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Climate change: Storm clouds gather after COP26

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Is the progress that was made at the COP26 Glasgow climate summit already in jeopardy because of challenges in the year ahead? 2021 was a momentous year for climate change. But there are now growing concerns that this momentum may dissipate over the coming months. The most grievous blow comes from the US.

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National Farmers Union climate change strategy

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National Farmers Union climate change strategy

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Simple and impactful climate solutions for your businesses

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Historically, Earthwatch's first formal partnership with HSBC was Investing in Nature, a five-year partnership launched in 2002, featuring WWF and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. As part of this program, HSBC sent 2,000 employees on Earthwatch field research projects around the world and helped Earthwatch train 230 scientists from the developing world on Earthwatch projects. HSBC participants undertook environmental projects in their workplace or local communities, supported by grants from HSBC.

Building on the success of the Investing in Nature partnership, in 2007 HSBC launched the HSBC Climate Partnership. Partnering with The Climate Group, Earthwatch, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and WWF, the HSBC Climate Partnership was a US$100-million, five-year program to reduce the impact of climate change and accelerate the adoption of low-carbon policies. Earthwatch helped influence the way HSBC does business by engaging HSBC employees in understanding more about the risks and opportunities associated with climate change and using that knowledge to reduce their own impacts at home, at work and those of HSBC operations.

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Historically, Earthwatch's first formal partnership with HSBC was Investing in Nature, a five-year partnership launched in 2002, featuring WWF and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. As part of this program, HSBC sent 2,000 employees on Earthwatch field research projects around the world and helped Earthwatch train 230 scientists from the developing world on Earthwatch projects.

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Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and food

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Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and food

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The freedom to roam, or " everyman's right", is the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise. The right is sometimes called the right of public access to the wilderness or the " right to roam".

In Scotland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland, the freedom to roam takes the form of general public rights which are sometimes codified in law. The access is ancient in parts of Northern Europe and has been regarded as sufficiently basic that it was not formalised in law until modern times. However, the right usually does not include any substantial economic exploitation, such as hunting or logging, or disruptive activities, such as making fires and driving offroad vehicles.

In England and Wales public access rights apply only to certain categories of mainly uncultivated land.

Ancient traces provide evidence of the freedom to roam in many European countries, suggesting such a freedom was once a common norm. Today, the right to roam has survived in perhaps its purest form in Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Here the right has been won through practice over hundreds of years[1] and it is not known when it changed from mere 'common practice' to become a commonly recognised right.

Today these rights underpin opportunities for outdoor recreation in several of the Nordic countries, providing the opportunity to hike across or camp on another's land (e.g. in Sweden for one or two nights), boating on someone else's waters, and picking wildflowers, mushrooms and berries. However, with these rights come responsibilities; that is, an obligation neither to harm, disturb, litter, nor to damage wildlife or crops.

Access rights are most often for travel on foot. Rights to fish, hunt or take any other product are usually constrained by other customs or laws. Building a fire is often prohibited (though in Sweden and Norway fires are allowed with proper safety precautions). Making noise is discouraged. In some countries, putting up a tent in the forest for one night is allowed, but not the use of a caravan. Access does not extend to built up or developed land (such as houses, gardens) and does not necessarily include commercial exploitation of the land. For example, workers picking berries may be legal only with the landowner's permission.

There are some significant differences in the rules of different countries. In Denmark, there is a more restricted freedom to roam on privately held land. All dunes and beaches and all publicly owned forests are open to roaming. Uncultivated, unfenced areas are open to daytime roaming irrespective of ownership status. Privately owned forest have access by roads and tracks only.

In Finland, the freedom to roam and related rights are called "jokamiehenoikeus" in Finnish and "allemansrätten" in Swedish (lit. "the everyman's right"), similar to other Nordic countries. Everyone may walk, ski, ride a horse or cycle freely in the countryside where this does not harm the natural environment or the landowner, except in gardens or in the immediate vicinity of people's homes (yards). Fields and plantations, which may easily be harmed, may usually not be crossed except in the winter. It is also possible to establish outdoor recreation routes on private land, based on an agreement on the rights of use or by official proceedings in accordance with the Outdoor Recreation Act, for example.[2]

One may stay or set up camp temporarily in the countryside, a reasonable distance from homes, pick mineral samples, wild berries, mushrooms and flowers (as long as they are not protected species). One may fish with a rod and line (only still waters), row, sail or use a motorboat on waterways (with certain restrictions), and swim or bathe in both inland waters and the sea. One can walk, ski and ice fish on frozen lakes, rivers and the sea. Income from selling picked berries or mushrooms is tax-free. Picking cloudberry may be temporarily restricted to local residents in parts of Lapland.[3] In the autonomous province of Åland the right to camp's inclusion in the right to roam was disputed, but since 2013 this is no longer the case.[4][5][6]

One may not disturb others or damage property, disturb breeding birds (or their nests or young), or disturb reindeer or game animals. One may not cut down or damage living trees, or collect wood, moss or lichen on other people's property, nor may one light open fires without the landowner's permission (except in an emergency). It is acceptable, however, to use an alcohol burner, wood stove or similar device that has no hot parts touching the ground. One may not disturb the privacy of people's homes by camping too near to them or making too much noise, nor litter, drive motor vehicles off-road without the landowner's permission, or fish (excluding angling) or hunt without the relevant permits.[7] If horse riding causes more than a minor inconvenience or disturbance, an agreement for the long term use of the route must be made with the landowner. A horse may also be taken to swim in a water body without the consent of the owner of the water area (excluding public beaches).

The right is a positive right in the respect that only the government is allowed to restrict it as in the case of strict nature reserves. However, the exact definition remains mostly uncodified and based on the principle of nulla poena sine lege (what is not illegal cannot be punished).

Everyone in Norway enjoys the right of access to, and passage through, uncultivated land in the countryside. The right is an old consuetudinary law called the allemannsrett (lit. the everyman's right), that was codified in 1957 with the implementation of the Outdoor Recreation Act.[8] It is based on respect for the countryside, and all visitors are expected to show consideration for farmers and landowners, other users and the environment. In Norway the terms utmark and innmark divide areas where the right to roam is valid ( utmark, literally something like "land outside [the boundaries]"/"[Out Field]") and where it is invalid or restricted ( innmark, "land inside [the boundaries]"/"[In Field]"). The law specifies innmark thoroughly, and all areas not covered by this definition are defined as utmark, generally speaking uninhabited and uncultivated areas. Cultivated land may only be crossed when frozen and covered in snow.

There are some basic rules that must be followed when camping in Norway:

People are allowed to camp at least 150 metres away from the nearest inhabited house or cottage.

Campfires are not allowed in the forest areas between 15 April to 15 September, unless it obviously can not lead to a fire.[9]

Tourists are allowed to stay in one spot for only one day. After that, it is necessary to specifically ask for permission from the landowner. This rule excludes the mountains and the national parks.

In later years the right has come under pressure particularly around the Oslo Fjord and in popular areas of Southern Norway. These areas are popular sites for holiday homes and many owners of coastal land want to restrict public access to their property. As a general rule, building and partitioning of property is prohibited in a 100-metre zone closest to the sea, but local authorities in many areas have made liberal use of their ability to grant exemptions from this rule. However, even if a land owner has been permitted to build closer to the shore, he may not restrict people from walking along the shore. Fences and other barriers to prevent public access are not permitted (but yet sometimes erected, resulting in heavy fines).

Canoeing, kayaking, rowing and sailing in rivers, lakes, and ocean are allowed. Motorised boats are only permitted in salt water. All waters are open for swimming - with the exception of lakes that are drinking water reservoirs (see for instance Maridalsvannet).

Wild berry foraging is part of the right. Picking cloudberries may, however, be restricted on privately owned land in northern parts of Norway.[10]

Hunting rights belong to the landowner, and thus hunting is not included in the right of free access. In freshwater areas such as rivers and lakes, the fishing rights belong to the landowner. Freshwater fishing may only be conducted with the permission of the landowner and by those in possession of a fishing licence. Different rules apply for children under the age of 16. Children under the age of 16 have the right to fish without a licence, a right codified in 1992. This right was tried and upheld in a ruling from the Norwegian Supreme Court in 2004.[citation needed ]

In salt water areas there is free access to sports fishing using boats or from the shoreline. All fishing is subject to legislation to, among other things, protect biological diversity, and this legislation stipulates rules regarding the use of gear, seasons, bag or size limits and more.

In Sweden allemansrätten (lit. "the everyman's right") is a freedom granted by the Constitution of Sweden. Since 1994 the Instrument of Government says that notwithstanding the right to own property "everyone shall have access to nature in accordance with allemansrätten".[11] What this means is not further explicated on in the constitution, and only sparsely in other legislation.[12] In practice, allemansrätten is defined as actions that are not crimes, will not make a person liable to pay damages, nor can be prohibited by any authority.[13] As in other Nordic countries, the Swedish right to roam comes with an equal emphasis being placed upon the responsibility to look after the countryside; the maxim is "do not disturb, do not destroy". Many Swedish people consider this to be a form of legacy or human right.

Allemansrätten gives a person the right to access, walk, cycle, ride, ski, and camp on any land-with the exception of private gardens, the immediate vicinity of a dwelling house and land under cultivation. Restrictions apply for nature reserves and other protected areas. It also gives the right to pick wild flowers, mushrooms and berries (provided they are not legally protected), but not to hunt in any way. Swimming in any lake and putting an unpowered boat on any water is permitted unless explicitly forbidden. Visiting beaches and walking by a shoreline is permitted, providing it is not a part of a garden or within the immediate vicinity of a residence (legally defined as the hemfridszon). The hemfridszon's size depends on conditions but can be as large as 70 metres from an ordinary dwelling house.[12] To better protect access to water and the right to walk along beaches, it is since 1975 generally not permitted to build a new house near (generally 100 m) from a beach and/or shoreline.[14]

Fishing remains essentially private-apart from on the biggest five lakes and the coast of the Baltic Sea, the Sound, Kattegat and Skagerrak. It is permitted to drive a car on a private road unless explicitly signposted otherwise. Small camp fires are generally permitted, but in some periods banned by local authorities due to wild fire risk. It is allowed to put up a tent on any uncultivated land for a night or two.[15] There has been some controversy on commercial use of the berry picking rights, when companies legally contract people to pick berries in the forests.[16]

Building a fire is generally permitted except on bare rock faces where it can lead to cracking. Municipalities can issue fire bans during dry periods.

Exercise of the rights is overseen by the County Administrative Boards-which can, for example, force the removal of a fence if it obstructs access to areas that are important to the allemansrätt.[12]

Like other Nordic countries Icelandic law contains a version of the freedom to roam, the right to access uncultivated land, camp there, pick berries, and in some months even light a campfire. "It is permissible to cross uncultivated private property without seeking any special permission, but landowners may limit routes with signs or other marks. State-owned land such as conservation areas and forestry areas are open to everyone with few exceptions. These exceptions include - but are not limited to - access during breeding seasons or during sensitive growth periods".[17]

Hikers should, however, "avoid taking shortcuts over fenced areas, pastures and private plots", and follow the rules in conservation areas. Footpaths should also be followed, if they exist, to help protect the landscape. Furthermore, "landowners may not hinder passage of walkers alongside rivers, lakes and ocean, or on tracks and paths'.[18] Cycling may be restricted on some paths. Equestrians must keep to bridleways where they exist and in other places show "consideration for the land".[18]

Fishing requires a license but collecting "berries, mushrooms, seaweed and other plants for immediate consumption" is permitted on "public lands and highland pastures".[18]

In Estonia, it is permitted to access natural and cultural landscapes on foot, by bicycle, ski, boat, or on horseback.[19]

Private property may be accessed at any time. If the private property is fenced or posted against trespassing, the permission of the owner is required to proceed. The owner of the private property is also required to post signs stating the ownership of the land, and contact numbers, to avoid legal issues. Land owners may not block access to land, roads or bodies of water that are public or designated for public use, including ice and shore paths.[19]

All bodies of water that are public or designated for public use have public shore paths that are up to 4 m wide. The shore path along a navigable body of water may extend to a distance of 10 m of the water line. The owner may not close this path even if the private property is posted or marked with no-trespassing signs. Grazing areas and other enclosed areas along the shore paths must have stiles. Ponds with no outlet located entirely on the land of one land owner and lakes smaller than five hectares located on land belonging to more than one land owner shall not be in public use. Permission from the landowner is required to access such bodies of water.[19]

Neither do bodies of water protected as sources of drinking water or which are in use by aquaculture or are in other special use have a shore path. All of the rights and responsibilities regarding humans' interaction with nature are collectively termed everyman's right. Everyman's right does not pertain to the organizing of sporting events or other public events in open country. To organize these, the permission of the landowners or other possessors of land, and if necessary, of the local government, must be sought.[19]

The following is permitted in nature:

accessing areas by foot, on bicycle, skis, boat or horseback in all places not prohibited on the basis of law(s);

being present in any area where access is permitted;

gathering wild berries, mushrooms, flowers, medicinal plants, hazelnuts and other natural products not under nature protection;

fishing bodies of water that are public or designated for public use with a simple hand line.

The following is prohibited:

accessing the immediate proximity of a person's yard, plantations, apiaries, sown crops, grain field and other cropland where damage is thereby incurred by the owner;

lighting fires and camping without permission from the land owner or possessor;

hunting and fishing without relevant license, except for simple hand line;

injuring trees and bushes;

disrupting the peace of local inhabitants;

damaging the habitats and nests of forest animals and birds, gathering or removing their eggs, or otherwise doing harm to them;

damaging nature protection objects and protected species;

using motor vehicles where prohibited;

polluting nature.

Article 13 of Section I of the Constitution of Belarus guarantees that all forest and farm land is publicly owned.[20][21] Forty percent of the country's territory is covered by forest,[22] and approximately the same amount devoted to agriculture.[23]

According to the Forest Code (Article 13)[24] "citizens have the right to freely stay in the forest and collect wild fruits, berries, nuts, mushrooms, other food, forest resources and medicinal plants to meet their own needs."[25]

The right to roam in Austria, particularly in forests and mountainous areas, is called [ Wegefreiheit. Since 1975 the right to roam in forests is guaranteed by Federal law. In particular, walking, running, hiking, and resting are automatically allowed to the public in most forest areas. However, horse riding, bike riding, and camping are not, and may only be practised with the land owner's permission. A large proportion of the forest area in Austria is owned by government bodies such as the Austrian State Forestry Commission de], but the same restrictions still apply. In some circumstances forests may be closed to the public for environmental reasons. The situation in mountainous areas is less clear, and differs from state to state. Some states, such as Carinthia, Styria, and Salzburg guarantee a right to roam in mountainous areas (usually defined as above the tree line), for all recreational activities. In other states, such as Tyrol, Lower Austria, and Burgenland, no explicit right to roam exists and land owners reserve the right to deny access. In practice, however, such restrictions are rarely enforced, since mountain tourism is an important industry in Austria.[26]

The old legal institute of "right of the way" (imbedded in the Civil Code) has its roots in Austria-Hungary law. This legal institution is applied when one land owner has a need to go through alien lands for access to his own land.

The Nature and Countryside Preservation Act, gives a legal right to roam through country ("veřejná přístupnost krajiny", public accessibility of countryside or wilderness - excluding parcels owned by a natural person). Some types of land are excluded from compulsory public accessibility: settled and building grounds, courtyards, gardens, orchards, vineyards, hop gardens, grounds destined for animal husbandry. Fields and arable land are excluded during seasons when herbage or soil would be damaged, pasture lands are excluded during cattle grazing. In national natural preserves, national natural monuments, national parks and in the first zones of landscape protected areas, state authorities can restrict public access (ordinarily only to roads or only to marked routes). Special acts can exclude also other areas (e. g. military areas, rail tracks etc.).

According to Forest Act, forests are publicly accessible ("obecné užívání lesa", common use of forest - including private ones) and citizens have a legal right to enter the forests. The right of gathering dry twigs lying on the ground and berries for personal purpose is also guaranteed. However, biking, sledge riding, skiing and horseback riding are allowed only on forest roads. Public motor vehicle riding is prohibited (highroads going through forest are not considered as parts of the forest - because they are not considered as "forest land" in land ragistration). Common use of forest can be restricted by the owner in military forests, protected areas, forest nurseries, forest orchards, deer parks, pheasantries etc.

The Road Act defines obecné užívání pozemních komunikací (common use of roads - some road can be excluded), The Water Act defines "obecné užívání povrchových vod" (common use of surface waters).

The freedom to roam is guaranteed in Switzerland by the Swiss Civil Code. However, some cantons have more detailed regulations concerning the rights of access of otherwise not authorised people.

The Swiss Civil Code provides that forest and pasture are accessible freely for everyone, as long as there is no excessive usage. Except in special cases like the protection of young forest or biotopes it is not allowed to fence in forest areas. This also applies to private property. Certain activities related to excessive usage and the potential to cause damage, such as events in the woods, or access with cars, may be dependent on special authorisation. Similar regulations are in place for land which is not usable (e.g. stretches of water, rock, snow and ice), regardless of the land being unowned (i.e. being under the control of the canton and not able to be claimed as private property) or privately owned. The canton may also choose to restrict the freedom to roam in order to protect nature (e.g. the gathering of mushrooms, berries, wood, etc. in forests).

In Germany a limited right to roam, called Betretungsrecht, is guaranteed by multiple federal laws. The Federal Nature Conservation Act,[27] the Federal Forest Act[28] and the Federal Water Management Act allow everyone access to open landscape, uncultivated land, forests and water bodies, including cycling and horse-riding on tracks and paths. The right may be further regulated through state law.

The Constitution of Bavaria guarantees everyone "the enjoyment of natural beauty and recreation in the outdoors, in particular the access to forests and mountain meadows, the use of waterways and lakes and the appropriation of wild fruits".[29] The right is nicknamed Schwammerlparagraph (mushroom clause). The article also obliges "every person to treat nature and the landscape with care". "The state and the municipalities shall be entitled and obliged to maintain free access to mountains, lakes, rivers and other beautiful sceneries and to create free access by restricting property rights and to create hiking trails and recreational parks".

In the United Kingdom, outside Scotland, access to much uncultivated and unenclosed land was restricted prior the enactment of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Access to land in England and Wales is still more limited than in most of Northern Europe, and some other European countries, while access is very limited in Northern Ireland. Property was formerly protected in England and Wales mostly to preserve the landowner's hunting or fishing rights. The Ramblers' Association, which works to increase the rights of walkers in the United Kingdom, was a driving force behind this legislation.

In England and Wales, after a polarised debate about the merits, rights and benefits of private landowners and public recreation, in 2000 the Government legislated to introduce a limited right to roam, without compensation for landowners. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) was gradually implemented from 2000 onwards to give the general public the conditional right to walk in certain areas of the English and Welsh countryside: principally downland, moorland, heathland and coastal land.[30] Forests and woodlands are excluded, other than publicly owned forests, which have a similar right of access by virtue of a voluntary dedication made by the Forestry Commission. Developed land, gardens and certain other areas are specifically excluded from the right of access. Agricultural land is accessible if it falls within one of the categories described above. People exercising the right of access have certain duties to respect other people's rights to manage the land, and to protect nature.

The new rights were introduced region by region through England and Wales, with completion in 2005. Maps showing accessible areas have been produced. This added to the legal right to use established public footpaths and bridleways, some common land and access to the foreshore. Land owners may prevent access to other areas (or charge a fee for access).

Angling interests successfully lobbied for the exclusion of rivers in England and Wales from CROW, leaving other river users such as swimmers and canoeists with access restricted to less than 2% of navigable water. The British Canoe Union is running the Rivers Access Campaign, to highlight the level of restrictions the public face in gaining access to inland waterways in England and Wales.

Much of the Dartmoor National Park has been designated as 'Access Land', although it remains privately owned, since the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, with no restrictions on where walkers can roam.[31] Because of the 1985 Act, Dartmoor was largely unaffected by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which established similar rights in other rural parts of the country, but in 2006, this Act opened up much of the remaining restricted land to walkers.

The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 extended access rights to land near the English coast.

In Scotland the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 comprehensively codified into Scots law the ancient tradition of the right to universal access to the land in Scotland. The act specifically establishes a right to be on land for recreational, educational and certain other purposes and a right to cross land. The rights exist only if they are exercised responsibly, as specified in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Access rights apply to any non-motorised activities, including walking, cycling, horse-riding and wild camping. They also allow access on inland water for canoeing, rowing, sailing and swimming. The rights confirmed in the Scottish legislation are greater than the limited rights of access created in England and Wales by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW).[32]

Access rights in Northern Ireland have been described as being "the most regressive and restrictive access legislation in Europe. Most of the routes used to reach ... mountains, hills, seashores, rivers and national monuments pass over private land. In almost all cases, the walker has no right to be there."[33] The Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 gave some rights, but access is generally modelled on the restrictive 1949 English/Welsh law. The absence of a tradition of access, political influence of landowners and problems of governance have been blamed for the lack of freedom to roam.[34]

Keep Ireland Open is a voluntary campaign organisation with the aim of improving access to the countryside. Journalist Fintan O'Toole called Irish law "perhaps the most negative and mean-minded regime for walkers in Europe".[35] Access rights in Ireland have been described as being "the most regressive and restrictive access legislation in Europe. Most of the routes used to reach our mountains, hills, seashores, rivers and national monuments pass over private land. In almost all cases, the walker has no right to be there."[33] The national parks are described by Keep Ireland Open as "the only places in Ireland where freedom to roam exists", but they only cover 0.9% of the country. Comhairle na Tuaithe was established by Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in 2004 to mediate between landowners, state agencies and recreational users of the countryside.[36]

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The freedom to roam, or " everyman's right", is the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise. The right is sometimes called the right of public access to the wilderness or the " right to roam".

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The Land Justice Network (formerly Land for What?) is a network of groups, individuals and networks who recognise the need to change the way land is owned, used, distributed and controlled in the UK.

For a full statement of aims and values please see Our Common Ground statement. You can see our provisional working structure here.

Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay in the loop. Our next network meeting will be in London early February, date TBC.

Here is a little movie made about our last big get together in London; we hope this gives you a quick insight into what we're about.

This is a brief introduction to some of the groups who started (this chapter of) the ball rolling and their reasons for being involved:

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The Land Justice Network (formerly Land for What?) is a network of groups, individuals and networks who recognise the need to change the way land is owned, used, distributed and controlled in the UK. For a full statement of aims and values please see Our Common Ground statement.

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Land Justice Activism in the UK - a story, and a map - Shared Assets

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Land Justice Activism in the UK - a story, and a map

Kate Swade

We've been trying to create a map of land justice activity in the UK. Read on to find out a bit more about our involvement in land justice activism, and to see the draft map!

As Ọlá wrote in his recent blog , at Shared Assets we're really interested in movements for change; how they come about, how they operate, how power is distributed within them. The movement for change we are most interested in, is, of course, the growing ecosystem of people, organisations, groups and campaigns focussed on creating a land system that is just, fair and equitable.

We've never been an activist or campaigning organisation, but we enjoy connecting people with each other, and take great pleasure in working with and alongside people who are working to change the dominant ways in which land and natural resources are accessed, distributed, and used in the UK.

We've also always recognised that land is a complex and multifaceted system, and that change will come from an ecosystem of different people and organisations working in different ways. So it was with great excitement and pleasure that, around the end of 2015 or beginning of 2016, we found ourselves hosting a meeting at our old offices in Wapping.

It was an office with four desks in, so squeezing in 9 or 10 people was a challenge, sitting in a wonky circle. We later managed to find space to meet in places that could actually fit us in, and eventually established a multi-organisational coalition. Land For What comprised ourselves, Three Acres and a Cow , Landworkers' Alliance , Community Food Growers Network , London Community Neighbourhood Cooperative , Radical Housing Network , Just Space , and New Economics Foundation .

The initial conversations were quite general, recognising that we all were working on land issues, and trying to work out whether and how we could work more closely together. Pretty soon after running some well attended workshops around the country, we settled on the idea of hosting our own event, with a particular focus on bringing housing and food activists into the same space to talk about land. We had a hypothesis that a Welsh hill farmer and an E15 Mum would have something in common, and that that thing was land.

As always with events, the momentum of having a date in the diary, speakers to organise, funding to find, programmes to craft and publicity to do, very much took over. I don't think anyone involved would look back on that time and say it was easy. In retrospect, we hadn't done nearly enough to build trust in each other, and to get to know each other - we had found ourselves doing a quite complicated and stressful thing without having built a solid foundation to stand that thing on.

As well as the usual event management stresses, tensions, misunderstandings and miscommunications around race, class, gender and power were never far from the surface; in some ways we were grappling with a microcosm of the ways in which the dominant system still plays out in many of our interactions in relation to land and each other.

However, we pulled it off, and Land For What? was a 2 day free event at the end of November 2016. We had the luck of recruiting the wonderful Zahra as a coordinator, and she was instrumental in pulling everything together. Over 400 people came through the doors of Resource for London in Holloway Road for an amazing array of sessions, speakers and interactions. Check out this video (and this channel for recordings of some of the sessions). It was one of the most exciting, nerve wracking and stressful things I've been involved with (and there are a number of things I'd advocate for doing differently today).

A much needed break from each other meant that we didn't come back together until the summer of 2017, when many of the key people from Land for What, and more, met up in the basement of New Economics Foundation to talk about what should happen next. We came up with the idea of forming a Land Justice Network to take forward what Land for What had begun. It seemed sensible for Shared Assets not to play a formal role in LJN, as there was a clear desire for it to be activist-led, but we did remain a financial host for some of the network's work, and helped recruit and support a (very) part time coordinator, Kate .

People involved in LJN, especially Robin , Guy , Ferdia , Nick , and more, did some great work, including creating this amazing pamphlet , the Landlord's Game walking tour, and a Land Camp occupation. There was ongoing outreach and education sessions using the Land for What framing, and a number of well attended national meetings. However, the network overcommitted its limited resources and energy undertaking the land occupation which led to widespread burnout. Combined with the funding for the coordinator running out, momentum dwindled, and central LJN activities slowed down. There was huge energy in some parts of the network, in particular in the development of the Right to Roam campaign, and the People's Land Policy work.

Shared Assets got back involved more formally in the middle of 2020 as it had become increasingly clear that the network itself was essentially dormant, and that its strong web presence was actually acting as a potential blocker to people finding out about the great work that was still happening outside or adjacent to the LJN. As importantly, the last few years have seen a flourishing of other land justice related projects that hadn't been at all associated with LJN, most notably the amazing work that the folks at both LION and the Black Land and Spatial Justice Campaign are doing around land as a racial justice issue.

After talking to as many of the core "LJN" people as possible we reached a broad agreement that the network was dormant, and that we should repurpose landjustice.uk as a directory or signposting site to help people find out about the broad and varied ecosystem of people working for change in the land system.

The first iteration of that directory is this ecosystem map, which people now arriving at the website are directed to - you can also see it www.landjustice.uk here.

You can use it to explore which groups are working on various different focus areas; clicking on the yellow dot will give you more information about each group, including how to get in touch and if they are looking for people to get involved. If you press "O" on your keyboard, it will remove the overlaps. And then if you click a blue dot, and press 1, it will focus the map on groups working on that area.

We know this is imperfect and incomplete - and it probably always will be - but it's a start, and hopefully begins to both help people be aware of who they are in a system with, as well as showing the diversity of groups, campaigns and organisations working for change in the system. If you think your group or organisation should be on the map, please fill in this 2 minute survey, and we will keep updating the map as it grows.

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Land Justice Activism in the UK - a story, and a map - Shared Assets

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Kate Swade We've been trying to create a map of land justice activity in the UK. Read on to find out a bit more about our involvement in land justice activism, and to see the draft map!

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Lessons from transforming UK landscapes for wildlife and people | Earth Optimism

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Martin Harper is the Global Conservation Director of the RSPB. He leads the charity's strategy for evidence, practical conservation and influence (in the UK, the 14 UK Overseas Territories and, working with the BirdLife International partnership, across the Africa-European flyway and globally where we can make a difference).

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Making Space for Nature | Earth Optimism

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Exactly ten years ago, on 16 September 2010, I had the privilege of submitting the Making Space for Nature report to government on behalf of Professor Sir John Lawton and his panel of experts. The report was strongly evidence-based and the culmination of a year's work by Sir John and his panel, which was drawn from academia, nature conservation, local government, land owning, farming and business sectors. Natural England was represented on the panel by our then Chief Scientist, Tom Tew, and provided the secretariat (me!).

Making Space for Nature - now widely known as the Lawton report - had immediate policy impact, shaping both the Natural Environment White Paper and the Biodiversity 2020 strategy. After a decade, many reports become outdated, but the main conclusions of the Lawton report have stood the test of time and been supported by recent research. Perhaps because of this, the report continues to inform government current policy, not least the 25 Year Environment Plan.

Today, on the 10 th anniversary of the report, Sir John and his panel have written to the Prime Minister. In their letter they acknowledge the policy impact that the Lawton report has had over the past decade, but also note that there has been far too little progress towards establishing the 'more bigger better and joined' spaces for nature called for in the report. This is bad for wildlife but also bad for people. As the letter says: "[wildlife] losses represent a decline in resilience of the ecosystems upon which we depend and a loss of experience and joy: there are too few places left where a child can walk through a cloud of butterflies or sit amongst a rainbow of flowers." In their letter, the panel asks the Prime Minister to urgently commit an additional £1 billion to rebuild England's natural infrastructure, including by enhancing our remaining wildlife sites, embarking on a bold restoration agenda by rapidly establishing large Nature Recovery Areas, and bringing nature closer to people. Delivering an effective Nature Recovery Network on land and sea is also at the heart of Natural England's mission. You can read the full letter to the Prime Minister .

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Exactly ten years ago, on 16 September 2010, I had the privilege of submitting the Making Space for Nature report to government on behalf of Professor Sir John Lawton and his panel of experts.

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An independent review of England's wildlife sites and the connections between them was published today, with recommendations to help achieve a healthy natural environment that will allow our plants and animals to thrive.

Led by Professor Sir John Lawton, the review was set up to look at our wildlife sites and whether they are capable of responding and adapting to the growing challenges of climate change and other demands on our land.

Welcoming the report, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said:

"I am extremely grateful to Professor Sir John Lawton and the other panel members for their hard work in carrying out this valuable review. Sir John Lawton is right to challenge us over what it takes to address the loss of biodiversity but he is also clear this cannot be done by Government alone. Everyone from farmers, wildlife groups, landowners and individuals can play a role in helping to create, manage and improve these areas, so if ever there was a time for the Big Society to protect our natural environment, this is it.

"We must work together to find innovative ways to protect and enhance our wildlife habitats - particularly as we respond to the growing threat of climate change. I will be calling for international action in Nagoya next month as we look to set new targets to tackle the decline in our natural environment, and we will follow this through with the first Natural Environment White Paper for 20 years in the UK."

Launching the report, Professor Sir John Lawton said:

"There is compelling evidence that England's collection of wildlife sites are generally too small and too isolated, leading to declines in many of England's characteristic species. With climate change, the situation is likely to get worse. This is bad news for wildlife but also bad news for us, because the damage to nature also means our natural environment is less able to provide the many services upon which we depend. We need more space for nature. Our 24 recommendations in this report call for action which will benefit wildlife and people. They provide a repair manual to help re-build nature."

The report makes the following key points for establishing a strong and connected natural environment:

That we better protect and manage our designated wildlife sites;

That we establish new Ecological Restoration Zones;

That we better protect our non-designated wildlife sites;

That Society's need to maintain water-quality, manage inland flooding, deal with coastal erosion and enhance carbon storage, if thought about creatively, could help deliver a more effective ecological network.

We will not achieve a step-change in nature conservation in England without society accepting it to be necessary, desirable and achievable.

The report makes many recommendations and the Government response will be included in the Natural Environment White Paper to be published next year. Making Space for Nature will also help those that wish to contribute to the White Paper discussion document by the end of October to submit their ideas on what they want to see included.

Notes

Please see a copy of the final report published today.

Please see a copy of the Natural Environment White Paper discussion document.

The review was launched in September 2009 to look at England's collection of wildlife areas and whether they represent a robust natural environment that is capable of responding and adapting to the challenges of climate change and other pressures.

Professor Sir John Lawton is a British ecologist and chair of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. He was Demonstrator in Ecology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford from 1968, moving to the University of York in 1971. In October 1999, he was appointed the Chief Executive of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), retaining an honorary professorship at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. Following his retirement from NERC in March 2005, he was appointed Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environment Pollution from 1 April 2005, and was reappointed for a second three year term in 2008.

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'Making space for nature': a review of England's wildlife sites published today

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An independent review of England's wildlife sites and the connections between them was published today, with recommendations to help achieve a healthy natural environment that will allow our plants and animals to thrive.

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Making space for nature in Falmouth

In conjunction with Cornwall Councillors, Falmouth Town Council and local communities the following areas were chosen to receive enhancements:

The Beacon

Lambs Lane estate

Swanvale open space in Boslowick

Tregoniggie Woodland

Beacon Park

New benches, wildlife-friendly plants, bulbs, trees and meadow patches have been introduced to the site.

View the final plan for The Beacon. Please note some changes have been made while works were underway.

Gardening sessions will be taking place monthly, please come along and join in. Sessions will run every fourth Thursday between 10am and 3pm as follows:

Please contact the team if you are interested in volunteering via email at spacefornature@cornwall.gov.uk.

Lambs Lane estate

The team met with the resident's association LLAMA. As a result of the meeting, the group agreed to improve the open areas between the houses.

Bulbs were planted and small meadow bubbles sown with lots of new trees introduced to provide spring blossom.

To see the plans for the improvements, please see the Lamb's Lane landscape plan.

Swanvale open space - Boslowick

This area is part of the Falmouth Green Corridor from Tregoniggie Woodland to Swanpool.

A consultation exercise was undertaken in March 2021. Results have been analysed and the final plan adjusted to take account of local views. Works will take place here in autumn 2021.

Tregoniggie Woodland

Working very closely with the Friends of Tregoniggie Woodland (FoTW), the team has undertaken some tree works. We have cleared an area of non-native trees now forms an open glade. More appropriate species of trees have been planted as replacements. In addition, selected grassland areas have been renovated and re-seeded to improve the floral diversity.

The Tregoniggie Woodland landscape plan shows the approximate areas where the project will be working.

The friends group has commissioned a local sculptor to create sculptures in the newly created glade within the woodland.

Exciting news for Launceston

The team has worked with Cornwall Councillors and the Town Council to identify spaces that could be improved as part of the project.

Thank you to all the residents who popped into the Launceston market in Launceston Town Square on Saturday 8 August. It was good to hear from local people who all supported the ideas. A few were interested in volunteering and we will work with them and others to create a long-lasting impact for all the residents of Launceston. If you are also interested in volunteering, please get in touch.

Windmill Hill

A consultation event was held on Saturday 29 February where residents were able to view the plans for two areas in the park

Works have been completed here. The bulbs have bloomed and the new meadow area should come to life in the summer. We would welcome any volunteers who would like to help maintain this beautiful space in central Launceston. Sessions have been set and will take place every third Wednesday of the month between 10am and 3pm. Please come along and join one of the gardening sessions on:

Ridgegrove estate

Also on Saturday 29 February 2020, a workshop was held at St Thomas' Church Hall. Residents of Ridgegrove Estate and Lane gave their views on what improvements they'd like to see at the green spaces in this area.

After the event, the team reviewed all the comments before putting together the plan. A summary of the main findings of Ridgegrove Consultation and how we used this to guide the design has been prepared.

Works were completed here in February 2021 based on the landscape plan

Ridgegrove Park

Cornwall Council has acquired land to the south of Ridgegrove Lane to enable a new crossing over the River Kensey. The team is working with colleagues in Transport to create a new public open space for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Works have commenced on the path following the granting of planning permission. Landscaping works will take place from September 2021 and be completed in the autumn. View the Ridgegrove Outline landscape plan.

Newquay urban spaces benefit from improvements

The Making Space for Nature team has been working with Cornwall Councillors and the Town Council to agree the focus for wildlife improvements in selected spaces across Newquay.

The following areas were agreed for interventions;

Open space between 36 and 44 Towan Blystra Road

A workshop was held by University of Exeter to gather views of local residents on Saturday 14 March 2020.

After the event, the team reviewed all the comments before putting together the plan. A summary of the main findings and how we used this to guide the design has been prepared.

Based on the suggestions, a landscape plan for Towan Blystra was developed which takes account of community use on the main grassed area with wildlife friendly planting around the edges.

Works have now been completed here.

St Columb Minor play area

Working in conjunction with Officers responsible for play, we have introduced new planting to complement the equipment at this site. Works were completed in May 2021.

View the landscape outline plan for St Columb Minor

Listry Road Recreation ground

Feasibility is being undertaken to improve this space for wildlife. An event will be held on 24 August on site to share the plans with local people. If you would be interested in finding our more about the plans as they take shape, please email the team spacefornature@cornwall.gov.uk. Works will take place in early 2022.

The Making Space for Nature team has been working with Liskeard Town Council, Liskeard Together and Cornwall Councillors to agree works

The team took part in the Liskeard Unlocked event on Saturday 12 September 2020. Thank you to everyone who came to talk to us and completed a survey to give us feedback on the designs.

St Martin's Churchyard

Thank you for the responses to our on-line consultation which closed on 26 May 2020.

The main works have now been completed. View St Martin's Churchyard landscape plan. Some changes to these plans were made during the on site works.

We want to set up some community events to involve local people.

If you would like to participate, please email spacefornature@cornwall.gov.uk.

Castle Park

Works including creating a wildlife hedge, adding picnic tables, planting fruit trees and pollinator plant beds, creating wildflower meadow areas to complement patches and colourful spring bulbs have now been completed.

Please have a look at the Castle Park landscape plan

Regular gardening sessions will be taking place here every second Thursday of the month between 10am and 3pm. Please come along to find out more about the works and how you can get involved;

Lanchard Woods

New access, tree works and drainage solution were delivered here in autumn 2020. Local people have embraced these changes and have started to organise regular litter picks. If you would be interested in helping out, please contact the team.

The 'Making Space for Nature' programme has completed in St Austell.

The first project transformed the A391 into a stunning town gateway. A 'river of wildflowers' perfect for pollinators runs along the road verges.

Planted in March 2020, 4000m2 wildflowers bloomed. A passer-by took time to tell us how much they enjoyed our work;

'The wildflower meadow areas are truly fabulous. The balance of flowers is magnificent. It is a great accomplishment and they are to be complemented on the initiative.'

In September 2020, the project added more native wildflower areas. This forms a 2.5km wildlife corridor between Tregrehan Mills and Treverbyn roundabouts. A footpath / cycleway runs alongside much of the verge giving up close contact with nature.

The meadows include a combination of annual and perennial species. The mix will evolve over the years. The changes will provide colour and nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies. The meadows will also provide cover and food for birds, small mammals and amphibians. Uncut meadow patches will act as refuge areas for creatures to shelter in over winter months.

Local residents and visitors to the town should enjoy the change over the years to come. This is one of many projects in St Austell for 'Making Space for Nature' and the Coastal Communities funded 'St Austell Fresh Green Futures'

This project has brought together many partners with a shared goal to bring more colour, enjoyment and access to nature to St Austell.

The Making Space for Nature team has been working with;

University of Exeter

Cormac

CC Highways

SABEF

St Austell Town Council

Darren Hawkes Landscapes

MeiLoci Ltd

Pictorial Meadows

National Wildflower Centre / Eden Project

Land south of the Meadows

Thank you to all who responded to a separate on-line consultation which closed on 12 June.

A The Meadows consultation summary of the main findings guided the final The Meadows landscape plan.

Works competed here in February 2021.

Cemetery Park

Thank you to all who responded to our on-line consultation which closed on 12 June. A Cemetery Park Consultation Summary of the main findings has guided the final Cemetery Park landscape plan.

Works completed here in March 2021.

The team will be running an event here as part of the Green WhiteGold Festival on 26 June, please come along and find out more about the nature of St. Austell.

The ancient harbour town of Penryn is already well known for its green credentials, from the story of Bishop Bronescombe founding Glasney ( Glasneth meaning vegetation) there, to its history as a 'town of orchards', and it is this context that Making Space for Nature is aiming to integrate with our objective to increase biodiversity in public open spaces, throughout our schemes for the town which are due autumn/winter 20021/22.

Glasney College Field

The scheme for this significant heritage has been granted consent from Historic England and will be delivered in accordance with the conditions set out. An innovative approach has been taken to using planting arrangements to evoke a sense of the heritage, with a formal raised flower bed design planned in the area where the church tower once stood to planted with medical and sensory plants symbolic of those found in medieval abbey grounds.

Woodland below Saracen Way

Following Public consultation in spring 2021, plans have been developed to enhance the existing woodland environment of this cherish space with a mind to increase its resilience to future uses and environmental changes, including increased storm events and higher temperatures as a result of climate change and for instance.

Trelawney Park

The main formal park for Penryn occupies an important location on a gateway to the town, with an existing play area and the Treluswell Stream running through the middle. Here, a mini-orchard is planned to reflect the town's historic industry, whilst also bringing rich-blossom, much loved by pollinators. New seating will be surrounded by bubbles of meadow flowers, whilst you'll be invited to explore the undergrowth of the stream-side 'jungle' through an enticing network of informal paths.

In Bodmin, Making Space for Nature is enhancing three sites over the autumn/winter 2021/22 period.

Kinsman Estate and Treningle View

This residential area is ideally situated for extending space for nature, being beside the Bodmin Beacon Local Nature Reserve. The scheme will introduce pollinator friendly shrub and perennial planting, sensitively located blossoming fruit trees, live-hedge enhancement, along with swathes of bulbs and wildflowers adding colour and enjoyment to grassed verges. A new accessible style, sustainably produced picnic bench will be added to the existing play area.

Tredanek Play Area

Located beside the Camel Trail at the end of Scarlett's Well Road, this play area holds great potential as a semi-wet meadow, semi-woodland habitat. Making Space for Nature is transforming the current area of amenity grass by introducing beds of sensory planting, native trees and orchard varieties, new seating and picnic tables, and features to inspire natural play based on suggestions made by children at Berrycoombe Primary School.

The Burgage Plots

A special historical site, representing the rich heritage of Bodmin as a medieval borough, the field pattern of the Burgage Plots is now covered by naturally regenerated secondary woodland, dominated by Sycamore and Ash. The enhancements being carried out by Making Space for Nature will respect both it's current value to nature as an emerging woodland, and the historic importance of the relic hedge lines demarking the 'plots'. Understorey planting with shrubs and trees iconic to Cornwall, including hazel, holly and hawthorn, will provide a suitable habitat for the next generation of woodland canopy trees to mature within and reduce opportunities for incursion by non-native invasive species.

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In conjunction with Cornwall Councillors, Falmouth Town Council and local communities the following areas were chosen to receive enhancements: The Beacon Lambs Lane estate Swanvale open space in Boslowick Tregoniggie Woodland New benches, wildlife-friendly plants, bulbs, trees and meadow patches have been introduced to the site. View the final plan for The Beacon.

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Focus on Cambridgeshire. New reserve in Cambourne and work with farmers. Ancient woodland in Gamlingay.

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The Wildlife Trusts - Tomorrow's Wildlife

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Personal responsibility: consumption and tourism

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Personal responsibility: consumption and tourism

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State of the UK Climate 2020, Mike Kendon

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State of the UK Climate 2020, Mike Kendon

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National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty have not done enough to protect nature or welcome diverse visitors, and extra government funding must help drive radical change, according to a review.

The independent review, commissioned by the former environment secretary Michael Gove, praises the work of England's 44 "national landscapes", including the Lake District and Dartmoor, but calls for a new focus to stop declines in nature and welcome working-class and black and minority ethnic visitors.

The review, led by the writer Julian Glover, calls for parks, which cover nearly a quarter of England, to have a clear national mission to reverse environmental decline, assisted by 1,000 new rangers. It says every schoolchild should be given the chance to visit the parks and spend a night under the stars.

"National parks and AONBs have done their best to protect nature but it's not been good enough," said Glover. " Nature is in crisis in our protected landscapes just as it's in crisis outside them. We're not blaming national parks and AONBs but we want to give them to the tools to do more, and recover declining nature."

Glover said the national parks were created after the second world war to serve the whole country and have proved "immensely popular", managing natural beauty well, particularly when receiving just £48m annual government funding between them. National parks generate more than £20bn for the rural economy, and support 75,000 jobs.

He added: "But our country has changed and we need to change the way we run our landscapes to keep pace with that. One thing is to make sure everyone feels welcome in those landscapes and the other is to make sure the way they are run reflects the country as a whole."

The review calls for the boards of national parks to better represent modern Britain - more than 99% of board members are white - and for a new programme to increase ethnic minority visits and ensure that minority groups see the parks as places for them.

Although more than 66% of people live within half an hour of a national park or AONB and they receive 94 million visitors each year, Glover said too many people don't know what they are for.

The review calls for a new national park in the Chilterns and a new "national forest" covering areas such as Sherwood Forest, to help increase woodland to fight the climate crisis.

It wants long-term programmes to increase black and minority ethnic visitors, better information to guide visitors, affordable homes within the parks, and consideration of expanding open access rights - the right to roam - in the landscapes.

Other ideas in the review include improved transport to help widen access, bike racks for buses as occurs in Switzerland, and electric bikes and charging points for electric vehicles. There are currently almost no electric vehicle charging points in some vast national parks.

The environment secretary, Theresa Villiers, welcomed the "spirit of ambition" and said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which commissioned the review, would "carefully consider" its recommendations.

She said: "These landscapes are the jewels in the crown of our countryside and are a cornerstone of our rural economy. We are committed to ensuring they flourish as havens for nature and sites that everyone in the country goes to visit for inspiration, adventure or relaxation."

Corinne Pluchino, the chief executive of the charity Campaign for National Parks, said: "We welcome the timely publication of this ambitious agenda for our most beautiful landscapes. There is an pressing need to address the urgent challenges in our national parks. We will be reviewing the report in detail and will be working to ensure the momentum is maintained."

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England's national parks 'must do more to protect nature'

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National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty have not done enough to protect nature or welcome diverse visitors, and extra government funding must help drive radical change, according to a review.