APPENDIX 57
Memorandum from The Woodland Trust
1. BACKGROUND
1.1 The Woodland Trust welcomes this opportunity
to submit the following short memorandum to this inquiry. The
comments that follow are delivered on behalf of the United Kingdom's
leading charity solely dedicated to the conservation of native
and broadleaved woodland. We achieve our purposes through a combination
of acquiring woodland and sites for planting and through wider
advocacy of the importance of protecting ancient woodland, enhancing
its biodiversity, expanding woodland cover and increasing public
enjoyment. We own over 1,100 sites across the country, covering
around 18,000 hectares and we have nearly 300,000 members and
supporters.
1.2 Education is an increasingly important
strand of our work. Last year we hosted a Children's Conference
in the National Forest focussed on children's messages for the
Johannesburg Summit and we will be hosting a similar event this
summer at Hainault Forest focussing on artistic expression and
the environment. We also run a junior members branch of the Woodland
Trust and have recently set up "Nature Detectives",
a project which engages young people in recording changes in the
timing of natural events. As well as such activity we are firmly
committed to the promotion of lifelong learning in our education
work and the use of our woods as outdoor classrooms.
2. GRASPING CURRENT
OPPORTUNITIES
2.1 The Woodland Trust believes that education
for sustainable development is critical to the future safeguarding
of the planet's environmental assets. There are real opportunities
to move forward this agenda at present especially with the onset
of the UN's decade of education for sustainable development, but
a genuinely joined-up, cross-departmental approach is required
on the domestic front if progress is to be made. We fully support
the argument recently put forward in Learning to Last, the Government's
sustainable development education strategy for England that "Nurturing
effective education will frequently require cross-departmental,
cross-sectoral or cross-organisational engagement. . . It needs
a clear lead from the top, the celebration of successes, the sharing
of good practice, and, if necessary, criticise, under-performance."[31]
3. THE ROLE
OF WOODLAND
3.1 Making sense of one's relationship with
the natural world is an important and often overlooked component
of citizenship, an important theme within the National Curriculum.
We believe that woodland has a particular, distinct contribution
to make to sustainable development education, providing formal
and informal opportunities for discovery and inspiration. Woodland
learning also has the potential to deliver a great many other
elements of the National Curriculum in meaningful and memorable
ways.
3.2 We want as many people as possible to
appreciate woodland and its contribution to sustainable development
so that eventually society sufficiently values the benefits it
provides to guarantee its future. In many respects woodland actually
embodies the multi-dimensional character of sustainable development
by providing environmental, social and economic benefits in an
almost uniquely simultaneous fashion. For example, as a sustainable
raw material, a key part of our natural heritage, a resource for
recreation and in the delivery of wide range of other public benefits.
This was recognised by the Government itself in the Rural White
Paper when it described forestry as "a true multi-use activity"[32]
and is also exemplified by the very wide range of Government sustainable
development indicators that trees and woods deliver upon, some
28 in all, ranging from wild birds to air quality as illustrated
in Appendix 1[33]
3.3 Finally, as Learning to Last also points
out, "The new protection afforded to school grounds and huge
investment programme for rebuilding and refurbishing school buildings
and facilities provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to create
sustainable working environments and new learning contexts for
pupils, teachers, governors and the wider school community alike."[34]
3.4 We believe that the theme of improving
school grounds and other sites both urban and rural, offers opportunities
for engagement in practical environmental activity such as tree
planting. Such activity can help to emphasise that simple actions
now can have a positive impact in the future as well as providing
physical activity that not only benefits the participant but also
society through environmental improvement.
April 2003
Annex 1
UK GOVERNMENT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS—CONTRIBUTION
OF WOODLAND[35]
| Indicator | How woodland contributes
| Domain |
| A1 | UK resource use | by being a renewable resource
| economic |
| H1 | Total output of economy (GDP)
| provides employment, goods to trade | economic
|
| B4 | UK imports, exports, trade balance
| provides both exports and imports | economic
|
| H5 | Qualifications at age 19
| provides location for certain skills | economic, social
|
| D13 | Area under Countryside Stewardship Schemes
| diversification for farming practices |
economic, environmental |
| E1 | Regional variations of GDP
| as for H1 | economic |
| F2 | Respiratory illness |
cleans the air by filtering out pollution | economic, social
|
| K6 | Quality of surroundings
| improves the urban surroundings | environmental social
|
| K7 | Access to local green space
| more green spaces for recreation | social
|
| K8 | Noise levels | provides a barrier reducing traffic noise
| environmental social |
| H9 | Emissions of greenhouse gases
| reduces amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
| environmental social |
| H10 | Days when air pollution is moderate or high
| filters out pollution to reduce number of days
| environmental social |
| P1 | Concentrations of selected air pollutants
| filters out pollution | environmental social
|
| P5 | Ozone depletion | shading effect can reduce rate of ozone production
| environmental social |
| S1 | Net loss of soils to development
| tree roots can stabilise soils and reduce rate of water run off
| environmental |
| H13 | Populations of wild birds
| provides habitats | environmental
|
| S3 | Trends in plant diversity
| increasing numbers of certain plant species
| environmental |
| S4 | Biodiversity Action Plans
| provides habitats | environmental
|
| S6 | Extent and management of SSSIs
| provides habitat and diversity | environmental
|
| S7 | Countryside quality |
improves the visual and ecological quality |
environmental social |
| S9 | Native species at risk
| habitats for species, species themselves |
environmental |
| S10 | Area of woodland in the UK
| an increased woodland area | environmental social
|
| S11 | Area of ancient semi-natural woodland
| an increased woodland area | environmental social
|
| S12 | Sustainable management of woodland
| better managed multi-purpose woodland |
environmental social, economic |
| S15 | (mineral site) land covered by restoration and aftercare conditions
| woodland establishment is easy and inexpensive, improves land visually and ecologically
| environmental social, economic |
| T7 | Public understanding and awareness
| forum for learning | social
|
| T8 | Awareness in schools |
forum for learning | social |
| T9 | Individual action for sustainable development
| tree planting, learning about ecology |
social, environmental |
31
Learning to Last The Government's Sustainable Development Education
Strategy for England, para VII February 2003. Back
32
DETR/MAFF (2000) "Our Countryside; the Future" p 115. Back
33
Appendix 1 "UK SD Indicators and How Woodland Contributes"
from Emma Loveridge, "Health Benefits of Woodland" Sheffield
Hallam University MSc thesis 2003. Back
34
Learning to Last op.cit. para IX. Back
35
Taken from Health Benefits of Woodland (2003) op.cit. Back
|
