Two thirds of London is made up not of buildings and roads, but green spaces.
There are the big parks, heaths, marshes and commons, but a lot is private gardens, allotments, squares, and of course the rail, road and waterway embankments. Despite a desperate need for housing and supportive infrastructure, support for, and protection of, these valuable green spaces remains a priority.
Green space is vital for our physical and mental wellbeing, it's crucial for wildlife and is now recognised as providing a vital and free service of protecting us and our built environment from the extreme weather, which we're all now so conscious of.
Heavier and more frequent wet spells, summer droughts and strong winds are now the accepted norm, and while London has escaped the devastating floods of Somerset or the savagery of Cornwall's rail destroying seas, it's as much through luck as design.
London needs more hedges, shrubberies, trees and wildflower filled green spaces. These would slow down run-off from heavy rain, preventing rivers, drains and waterways from being overwhelmed by sudden downpours. These look better and play an environmentally crucial role than the many new developments celebrated in glossy graphics created by architects wanting to make their mark on London's skyline.
New designs show little greenspace, and some even have indoor gardens with mature trees to save tired office workers the trouble of venturing outdoors. A lovely plan, but it doesn't contribute to the wellbeing and quality of London's environment.
Working with enlightened developers, councils and other partners, London's conservationists are increasingly sharing resources to improve the Capital's health for all its communities; human, plant, aquatic, avian and yes even spiders.
London needs wildlife in all its forms. Birds, bats, bugs and minibeasts are as important as the road cleaners, rubbish collectors, traffic controllers and maintenance staff who all work invisibly to keep things ticking over.
If we thought of it as environmental economics, we'd rate it more highly than fiscal economics. Without nature, there is no future. That's why it's so important that people send us the results of their Big Garden Birdwatch. Monitoring wildlife is like an annual health check for nature, ensuring its heart is beating strongly.
We've inflicted quite a lot of self harm over the years, most of it unintentionally but quite a bit revealed and tackled after changes were noted in the number or type of birds, fish or plants around us. We now know more than ever before and must press the Government to use that knowledge to inform development and policies shaping our futures.