The RSPB is passionate about getting more children connected to nature.
Evidence shows that the proportion of children playing out in natural spaces has dropped by as much as 75 per cent over the last 30 to 40 years.
This is despite the proven positive effects that contact with the natural world has on children’s physical and mental health, personal and social development, and even academic achievements.
If the decline in connection continues, the consequences for wildlife and people could be catastrophic - children who don’t value and respect nature when they’re young are less likely to see the importance of protecting the natural environment when they're older.
Worryingly, RSPB NI’s ability to connect more children with nature is under threat as vital funding from the Department of the Environment is withdrawn in June.
We’re facing a cut of £150,000 annually, which will have a detrimental impact on the amount and variety of education programmes we offer.
Currently, our small education team engages with tens of thousands of children every year in classrooms and communities. A big focus of our work is to encourage children to take action for the nature around them, from improvements to school grounds, to reporting sightings of threatened species and attracting wildlife to their gardens.
Just take the results of this year’s Big Garden and Big Schools’ Birdwatch – a record-breaking 14,000 children in Northern Ireland took time out of the classroom to record the birds that visited their playgrounds. (Blackbirds were spotted most often, closely followed by starlings and hooded crows!).
The whole environmental sector, and the great work that’s being done to engage young people with the environment, is under threat.
Help us stand up for nature by writing to or tweeting the Environment Minister or your local MLA and telling them why teaching the next generation to love nature is so important.