Recommendation 16

HM Government Accepted in Part

Inclusivity in green sectors, including in citizen science and other volunteering opportunities is key to achieving our biodiversity targets. Employer led initiatives are driving change. For example, the Wildlife and Countryside Link’s route map towards greater ethnic diversity sets out steps to address barriers to minority ethnic people becoming a greater part of the environmental sector, whilst Groundwork’s New to Nature initiative aims to improve access to careers in the sector through paid traineeships. Through the Green Jobs Delivery Group government are working with employers to champion increasing equality of opportunity across green sectors. The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 sets out that spending time in the natural environment can improve our mental health and feelings of wellbeing. It can reduce stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression and can help boost immune systems, encourage physical activity and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Defra recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. We committed in our Environmental Improvement Plan published in January 2023 to work across government to help ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space and to reduce barriers to access with various programmes. The cross-government ‘Preventing and tackling mental ill health through Green Social Prescribing’ programme, led by Defra, was established in October 2020 to examine how to increase use and connection to the natural environment through referral to green and/or blue social prescribing services within communities in England to prevent and tackle mental ill health. The programme achieved around 8,500 referrals to nature-based activities and gathered a wealth of evidence showing the effectiveness of green social prescribing and how best to implement it. A full programme evaluation report will be made publicly available and the green social prescribing partnership, including Defra, DHSC, NHSE, NE, Sport England and NASP, remains active and firmly committed to progressing this agenda. Foundational environment education starts in schools. DfE’s 2022 Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy advocated a whole systems approach to teaching and empowering children to tackle environmental issues. Alongside launching a new Natural History GSCE by 2025, the strategy introduced the National Education Nature Park, supported by an online hub with teaching resources on nature recovery and climate resilience. Educational institutions nationwide can take advantage of the free resources offered which will empower children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature’s future. In November 2023, we announced £2.5m of new funding to connect disadvantaged young people to nature, building on the legacy of the Generation Green programme. Through new jobs, training, volunteering roles, residentials and outdoor and online learning experiences, the Generation Green programme has already provided more than 115,000 opportunities to connect young people to nature – many for the first time – and to cultivate a sense of care for the natural environment. The £16 million Access for All programme, which is a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests, and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive. More than £3.5m has already been spent on making our protected landscapes more accessible, including: • resurfacing paths; • replacement of stiles with accessible gates; • new benches and resting stops; • accessible viewing platforms; • provision of new all-terrain trampers to support disabled people to access the countryside.