‘The pressure that wildlife is under from development, climate change, and human activity is immense. And even though we at Manx Wildlife Trust are doing great things, it’s not enough. We need the help of more people.’
That’s Graham Makepeace-Warne, he’s Head of Engagement at Manx Wildlife Trust. The organisation is this year’s Charity Partner at the Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence and they’re using the event to launch their new campaign: Make Space for Nature. And they want you, yes you, to get involved. Or at least check it out. You might end up finding something that benefits you.
‘The campaign is, of course, designed to benefit nature, but people too. There are a number of elements to Make Space for Nature, but the basic premise is that we want people to create and maintain spaces for wildlife.’
This doesn’t mean you have to build a jungle in your back garden. The campaign is all about you and how you can easily and realistically adapt your surroundings – either in your own garden, at your workplace, in school, or in a community group – to make it more green. And this is where Lucy Chapman, the Project Officer for #TeamWilder at MWT, comes in.
‘Our aim is to help and empower people as much as possible either individually or in groups to make a difference and do great things for nature. Make Space for Nature can cover everything from big projects to small actions. So, it could be as simple as putting some pollinating flowers in a window box at home, right through to a big community getting together, getting some space, turning it into allotments, growing food etc. It can be the smallest action right through to really big community projects. And where we fit into that is we help tie all those actions together and help make people feel that they're part of a big movement to make a difference. The campaign is about the people of the Isle of Man doing what they feel is right for wildlife. We know how much people care, but sometimes they don’t have access to the tools, support, and expertise to help make their ideas a reality. We want to change that with Make Space for Nature.’
An important thing to get across is that this is not just for people who take an active interest in the environment. You don’t have to be a climate change activist to get involved in this. Hey, you don’t even have to BELIEVE in climate change to take part. Because Make Space for Nature isn’t solely about benefitting the environment, it’s about benefitting our own health too. It’s well documented that spending time in natural spaces is good for people both physically and mentally. And the process of being able to create that for yourself is even better.
‘We need to help nature; it needs a helping hand. But also, we're part of nature, so we shouldn't see ourselves as separate from it’, Lucy tells me. ‘We need more green spaces to spend time in. But also, just the act of growing your own food gets you out in nature. With wildlife gardening you can grow healthy food, which doesn't have pesticides on it. All these sorts of activities, along with getting together with the community to do them, whether it be through allotments or community gardens or sharing your own space is really powerful.’
Make Space for Nature is all about giving people the resources (for FREE) that will help and empower you to start doing small things that can make a big difference, not just to nature, but to your own health. And next year, Manx Wildlife Trust will be taking their campaign even further.
‘Thanks to corporate support, we’ll be asking every household in the Isle of Man to join us in a movement to welcome wildlife back into in their own lives and communities and offering lots of help, advice, and resources along the way.’ Lucy tells me. ‘We’re excited to be announcing the full details of this soon.’
As part of the Make Space for Nature campaign, Manx Wildlife Trust is also going to be presenting a fundraiser to buy a brand-new nature reserve for the Island.
‘The best way for us to protect land for wildlife is through owning it. If MWT owns a piece of land, we will maintain it in perpetuity for wildlife and the community; it’s something we want to do more of. So, what we want to launch on the evening of the Awards for Excellence is a fundraising campaign for us to create a land acquisition fund that we can use to buy land that is the absolute best for wildlife, but also a great local amenity as well.’
The way MWT is going to do this is by dividing the piece of land into 3 metre squares using What3words that people can buy or fundraise for. Then they’ll always be able to say that that three-square-meters is the one they helped MWT to buy. Like your own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame but greener. On the actual night of the Awards for Excellence, there’ll be envelopes on the tables for the fundraising campaign and posters with a QR code on that you can scan to find out more about Make Space for Nature. You can also find out more by heading over to mwt.im/MakeSpace.
‘We’re really excited for this year’s event’ Lucy and Graham tell me enthusiastically. ‘It's always such a celebration of the hard work done by so many brilliant people in the Isle of Man. So, for us to be there and be able to see people who've supported us along the way, it’ll be a chance to say thank you to the business community for continuing to support us and help us keep doing what we do.’
