Check out @wclnews.bsky.social for more info on the proposed amendments, including provisions for access to nature, and read my guest blog post to hear my thoughts as a young person on the joint nature and housing crises: www.wcl.org.uk/young-people...

🦋Create communities where people and nature can thrive together.

🌳Amendments proposed by @wclnews.bsky.social and other environmental organisations to be implemented, including access to nature provisions, environmental monitoring, strengthening protections for endangered species, and ensuring rare and irreplaceable habitats are safe.

🪲Building homes doesn't have to destroy nature, sustainable development has the potential to help protect it.

So what do we need to happen?
🐛We need to build smarter and use land more effectively.

🌿The idea we need to build extensively on protected habitats to meet targets of 1.5 million homes is also false, @cprecountryside.bsky.social estimates we can build at least 1.2 million homes on brownfield sites and this doesn't account for vacant properties and empty second homes.

The #PlanningAndInfrastructureBill has been full of controversy and criticism. There is a rhetoric from the Government that nature is a barrier to development which is simply not true:
🦇Just 3% of planning appeals mention bats and newts, reducing their protections will not speed up house building.

Time spent outdoors has incredible benefits to our health and wellbeing. #AccessToNature is not a nice to have, it is fundamental for communities.

Research found from @wclnews.bsky.social has found that areas in England first time buyers are able to buy in are areas with low access to nature. In fact every metre of green space lost is associated with an extra 494 first time buyers purchasing in an area 🤯

🌾 Part 2 - go.bsky.app/782TCU1

🐞 These packs compile 300 projects, individuals, and organisations working towards nature restoration in the UK!

🌿 Now is probably also a great time to highlight the starter packs I’ve made around this very topic, nature and environmental restoration in the UK!

💐 Part 1 - go.bsky.app/LNv5K8h

So excited to be attending! 🙌

✨ Here’s a summary of Day 2 as a whole!

🌾 Stay tuned for tomorrow where we’ll dive deeper into the challenges faced by environmental defenders and explore some tangible actions we can take, as well as some time to explore Strasbourg!

💭 After lunch, we engaged in peer learning and sharing our own lives experiences, thoughts, and insights. We also got to chat to experts from different organisations such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Council or Europe.

🌿 Everyday we wrap up our work with reflection groups and time.

🏢 The European Youth Centre in Strasbourg is right next to the European Court of Human Rights, the European Parliament, and the Council or Europe, so it’s been great to explore our surroundings in our breaks.

🐝 We’ve also had some wildlife finds, including damselflies, lizards, and cormorants!

🇪🇺 On to Day 2 of the @yeenetwork.bsky.social study session on environmental defenders, where we started off the day learning more about the Council of Europe, its Youth Department, and their work/priorities.

🗺️ We also looked at mapping existing frameworks which support environmental defenders!

🌿 Day 1 of the @yeenetwork.bsky.social study session on environmental defenders completed!

🌍 With attendees from across Europe and different backgrounds, I’m excited to see how things progress across the next few days.

✨ Lots of introductions and admin today, check out the full rundown below!

🌾 Listening to the latest episode of the Your Wild Streets podcast from @ukyouthfornature.bsky.social (hosted by icons Rois and Alena) on my journey.

💐 Such an interesting episode, discussing rewilding, the importance of native plants, pesticides, and more!

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts!